MYB30 and MYB14 form a repressor-activator module with WRKY8 that controls stilbene biosynthesis in grapevine.

When exposed to pathogen infection or ultraviolet (UV) radiation, grapevine (Vitis vinifera) plants rapidly accumulate the stilbenoid resveratrol (Res) with concomitant increase of stilbene synthase (STS), the key enzyme in stilbene biosynthesis. Although a few transcription factors have been shown to regulate STSs, the molecular mechanism governing the regulation of STSs is not well elucidated. Our previous work showed that a VvMYB14-VvWRKY8 regulatory loop fine-tunes stilbene biosynthesis in grapevine through protein-protein interaction; overexpression of VvWRKY8 down-regulates VvMYB14 and VvSTS15/21; and application of exogenous Res up-regulates WRKY8 expression. Here, we identified an R2R3-MYB repressor, VvMYB30, which competes with the activator VvMYB14 for binding to the common binding sites in the VvSTS15/21 promoter. Similar to VvMYB14, VvMYB30 physically interacts with VvWRKY8 through their N-termini, forming a complex that does not bind DNA. Exposure to UV-B/C stress induces VvMYB14, VvWRKY8, and VvSTS15/21, but represses VvMYB30 in grapevine leaves. In addition, MYB30 expression is up-regulated by VvWRKY8-overexpression or exogenous Res. These findings suggest that the VvMYB14-VvWRKY8-VvMYB30 regulatory circuit allows grapevine to respond to UV stress by producing Res and prevents over-accumulation of Res to balance metabolic costs. Our work highlights the stress-mediated induction and feedback inhibition of stilbene biosynthesis through a complex regulatory network involving multiple positive and negative transcriptional regulators.

NeuroD1-GPX4 signaling leads to ferroptosis resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cell death resistance is a hallmark of tumor cells that drives tumorigenesis and drug resistance. Targeting cell death resistance-related genes to sensitize tumor cells and decrease their cell death threshold has attracted attention as a potential antitumor therapeutic strategy. However, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Recent studies have reported that NeuroD1, first discovered as a neurodifferentiation factor, is upregulated in various tumor cells and plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis. However, its involvement in tumor cell death resistance remains unknown. Here, we found that NeuroD1 was highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and was associated with tumor cell death resistance. We revealed that NeuroD1 enhanced HCC cell resistance to ferroptosis, a type of cell death caused by aberrant redox homeostasis that induces lipid peroxide accumulation, leading to increased HCC cell viability. NeuroD1 binds to the promoter of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), a key reductant that suppresses ferroptosis by reducing lipid peroxide, and activates its transcriptional activity, resulting in decreased lipid peroxide and ferroptosis. Subsequently, we showed that NeuroD1/GPX4-mediated ferroptosis resistance was crucial for HCC cell tumorigenic potential. These findings not only identify NeuroD1 as a regulator of tumor cell ferroptosis resistance but also reveal a novel molecular mechanism underlying the oncogenic function of NeuroD1. Furthermore, our findings suggest the potential of targeting NeuroD1 in antitumor therapy.

Polychromatic Dual-Mode Imaging with Structured Chiral Photonic Crystals.

Optical spatial differentiation is a typical operation of optical analog computing and can single out the edge to accelerate the subsequent image processing, but in some cases, overall information about the object needs to be presented synchronously. Here, we propose a multifunctional optical device based on structured chiral photonic crystals for the simultaneous realization of real-time dual-mode imaging. This optical differentiator is realized by self-organized large-birefringence cholesteric liquid crystals, which are photopatterned to encode with a special integrated geometric phase. Two highly spin-selective modes of second-order spatial differentiation and bright-field imaging are exhibited in the reflected and transmitted directions, respectively. Two-dimensional edges of both amplitude and phase objects have been efficiently enhanced in high contrast and the broadband spectrum. This work extends the ingenious building of hierarchical chiral nanostructures, enriches their applications in the emerging frontiers of optical computing, and boasts considerable potential in machine vision and microscopy.

ACAT1/SOAT1 maintains adipogenic ability in preadipocytes by regulating cholesterol homeostasis.

Maintaining cholesterol homeostasis is critical for preserving adipocyte function during the progression of obesity. Despite this, the regulatory role of cholesterol esterification in governing adipocyte expandability has been understudied. Acyl-coenzyme A (CoA):cholesterol acyltransferase / Sterol O-acyltransferase 1 (ACAT1/SOAT1) is the dominant enzyme to synthesize cholesteryl ester in most tissues. Our previous study demonstrated that knockdown of either ACAT1 or ACAT2 impaired adipogenesis. However, the underlying mechanism of how ACAT1 mediates adipogenesis remains unclear. Here, we reported that ACAT1 is the dominant isoform in white adipose tissue of both humans and mice and knocking out ACAT1 reduced fat mass in mice. Furthermore, ACAT1-deficiency inhibited the early stage of adipogenesis via attenuating PPARγ pathway. Mechanistically, ACAT1 deficiency inhibited SREBP2-mediated cholesterol uptake and thus reduced intracellular and plasma membrane cholesterol level during adipogenesis. While replenishing cholesterol could rescue adipogenic master gene - Pparγ's transcription in ACAT1 deficient cells during adipogenesis. Finally, overexpression of catalytically functional ACAT1, not the catalytic-dead ACAT1, rescued cholesterol level and efficiently rescued the transcription of PPARγ, as well as the adipogenesis in ACAT1-deficient preadipocytes. In summary, our study revealed the indispensable role of ACAT1 in adipogenesis via regulating intracellular cholesterol homeostasis.

miR-22-3p in the rostral ventrolateral medulla promotes hypertension through inhibiting ß-arrestin-1.

It has been documented that increased sympathetic activity contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension. We previously reported that ß-arrestin-1, a multifunctional cytoskeletal protein, was downregulated in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), and its overexpression elicited an inhibitory effect on sympathetic activity in hypertension. microRNA (miR)-22-3p has been reported to be associated with the pathological progress of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of miR-22-3p in ß-arrestin-1-mediated central cardiovascular regulation in hypertension. It was observed that miR-22-3p was upregulated in the RVLM of SHRs compared with normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, and it was subsequently confirmed to target the ß-arrestin-1 gene using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. miR-22-3p was downregulated in the RVLM using adeno-associated virus with 'tough decoys', which caused a significant increase of ß-arrestin-1 expression and decrease of noradrenaline and blood pressure (BP) in SHRs. However, upregulation of miR-22-3p using lentivirus in the RVLM of WKY rats significantly increased BP. In in vitro PC12 cells, enhanced oxidative stress activity induced by angiotensin II was counteracted by pretreatment with miR-22-3p inhibitor, and this effect could be abolished by ß-arrestin-1 gene knockdown. Furthermore, microglia exhaustion significantly diminished miR-22-3p expression, and enhanced ß-arrestin-1 expression in the RVLM of SHRs. Activation of BV2 cells in vitro evoked a significant increase of miR-22-3p expression, and this BV2 cell culture medium was also able to facilitate miR-22-3p expression in PC12 cells. Collectively, our findings support a critical role for microglia-derived miR-22-3p in inhibiting ß-arrestin-1 in the RVLM, which is involved in central cardiovascular regulation in hypertension. KEY POINTS: Impairment of ß-arrestin-1 function in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) has been reported to be associated with the development of sympathetic overactivity in hypertension. However, little is known about the potential mechanisms of ß-arrestin-1 dysfunction in hypertension. miR-22-3p is implicated in multiple biological processes, but the role of miR-22-3p in central regulation of cardiovascular activity in hypertension remains unknown. We predicted that miR-22-3p could directly bind to the ß-arrestin-1 gene (Arrb1), and this hypothesis was confirmed by using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Inhibition of ß-arrestin-1 by miR-22-3p was further verified in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. Furthermore, our results suggested miR-22-3p as a risk factor for oxidative stress in the RVLM, thus contributing to sympatho-excitation and hypertension. Our present study provides evidence that microglia-derived miR-22-3p may underlie the pathogenesis and progression of neuronal hypertension by inhibiting ß-arrestin-1 in the RVLM.

Nickel-Catalyzed Enantioselective Alkylation of Primary Phosphines.

Functional molecules derived from stereogenic phosphorus centers have important applications in the discovery of drugs and agrochemicals. They are also widely utilized as chiral ligands or organocatalysts for diverse asymmetric transformations. However, access to P-stereogenic motifs has always been regarded as a highly challenging yet desirable goal in organic synthesis. The development of general and practical methods for the stereoselective construction of synthetically versatile P(III)-stereogenic phosphines is particularly appealing but remains elusive. Herein, we describe a nickel-catalyzed asymmetric alkylation of primary phosphines with alkyl halides for the synthesis of P-stereogenic secondary phosphine-boranes with high enantioselectivity and broad substrate scope. The resulting optically active secondary phosphine-boranes allow for further stereospecific transformations, thereby establishing a modular and efficient platform for the diversity-oriented construction of P-stereogenic phosphine compounds.

The Genome of Vitis zhejiang-adstricta Strengthens the Protection and Utilization of the Endangered Ancient Grape Endemic to China.

Vitis zhejiang-adstricta (V. zhejiang-adstricta) is one of the most important and endangered wild grapes. It is a national key protected wild, rare and endangered ancient grape endemic to China and used as a candidate material for resistance breeding owing to its excellent significant disease resistance. Here, we present a high-quality chromosome-level assembly of V. zhejiang-adstricta (IB-VB-01), comprising 506.66 Mb assembled into 19 pseudo-chromosomes. The contig N50 length is 3.91 Mb with 31,196 annotated protein-coding genes. Comparative genome and evolutionary analyses illustrated that V. zhejiang-adstricta has a specific position in the evolution of East Asian Vitis and shared a common ancestor with Vitis vinifera during the divergence of the two species about 10.42 (between 9.34 and 11.12) Mya. The expanded gene families compared with those in plants were related to disease resistance, and constructed gene families were related to plant growth and primary metabolism. With the analysis of gene family expansion and contraction, the evolution of environmental adaptability and especially the NBS-LRR gene family of V. zhejiang-adstricta was elucidated based on the pathways of resistance genes (R genes), unique genes and structural variations. The near-complete and accurate diploid V. zhejiang-adstricta reference genome obtained herein serves as an important complement to wild grape genomes and will provide valuable genomic resources for investigating the genomic architecture of V. zhejiang-adstricta as well as for improving disease resistance breeding strategies in grape.

Far-red light modulates grapevine growth by increasing leaf photosynthesis efficiency and triggering organ-specific transcriptome remodelling : Author.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence demonstrates that the synergistic interaction of far-red light with shorter wavelength lights could evidently improve the photosynthesis efficiency of multiple species. However, whether/how far-red light affects sink organs and consequently modulates the source‒sink relationships are largely unknown. RESULTS: Here, equal intensities of white and far-red lights were added to natural light for grape plantlets to investigate the effects of far-red light supplementation on grapevine growth and carbon assimilate allocation, as well as to reveal the underlying mechanisms, through physiological and transcriptomic analysis. The results showed that additional far-red light increased stem length and carbohydrate contents in multiple organs and decreased leaf area, specific leaf weight and dry weight of leaves in comparison with their counterparts grown under white light. Compared to white light, the maximum net photosynthetic rate of the leaves was increased by 31.72% by far-red light supplementation, indicating that far-red light indeed elevated the photosynthesis efficiency of grapes. Transcriptome analysis revealed that leaves were most responsive to far-red light, followed by sink organs, including stems and roots. Genes related to light signaling and carbon metabolites were tightly correlated with variations in the aforementioned physiological traits. In particular, VvLHCB1 is involved in light harvesting and restoring the balance of photosystem I and photosystem II excitation, and VvCOP1 and VvPIF3, which regulate light signal transduction, were upregulated under far-red conditions. In addition, the transcript abundances of the sugar transporter-encoding genes VvSWEET1 and VvSWEET3 and the carbon metabolite-encoding genes VvG6PD, VvSUS7 and VvPGAM varied in line with the change in sugar content. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that far-red light synergistically functioning with white light has a beneficial effect on grape photosystem activity and is able to differentially affect the growth of sink organs, providing evidence for the possible addition of far-red light to the wavelength range of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR).

Supplementing with monochromatic blue LED light during the day, rather than at night, increases anthocyanins in the berry skin of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.).

MAIN CONCLUSION: Supplying monochromatic blue LED light during the day, but not at night, promotes early coloration and improves anthocyanin accumulation in the skin of grape berries. Specific light spectra, such as blue light, are known to promote the biosynthesis and accumulation of anthocyanins in fruit skins. However, research is scarce on whether supplement of blue light during different periods of one day can differ in their effect. Here, we compared the consequences of supplying blue light during the day and night on the accumulation of anthocyanins in pigmented grapevine (Vitis vinifera) berries. Two treatments of supplemented monochromatic blue light were tested, with light emitting diodes (LED) disposed close to the fruit zone, irradiating between 8:00 and 18:00 (Dayblue) or between 20:00 and 6:00 (Nightblue). Under the Dayblue treatment, berry coloration was accelerated and total anthocyanins in berry skins increased faster than the control (CK) and also when compared to the Nightblue condition. In fact, total anthocyanin content was similar between CK and Nightblue. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that Dayblue slightly improved the relative expression of the anthocyanin-structural gene UFGT and its regulator MYBA1. Instead, the expression of the light-reception and -signaling related genes CRY, HY5, HYH, and COP1 rapidly increased under Dayblue. This study provides insights into the effect of supplementing monochromatic LED blue light during the different periods of one day, on anthocyanins accumulation in the berry skin.

Computational markers of risky decision-making predict for relapse to alcohol.

BACKGROUND: Relapse remains the major challenge in treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Aberrant decision-making has been found as important cognitive mechanism underlying relapse, but factors associated with relapse vulnerability are unclear. Here, we aim to identify potential computational markers of relapse vulnerability by investigating risky decision-making in individuals with AUD. METHODS: Forty-six healthy controls and fifty-two individuals with AUD were recruited for this study. The risk-taking propensity of these subjects was investigated using the balloon analog risk task (BART). After completion of clinical treatment, all individuals with AUD were followed up and divided into a non-relapse AUD group and a relapse AUD group according to their drinking status. RESULTS: The risk-taking propensity differed significantly among healthy controls, the non-relapse AUD group, and the relapse AUD group, and was negatively associated with the duration of abstinence in individuals with AUD. Logistic regression models showed that risk-taking propensity, as measured by the computational model, was a valid predictor of alcohol relapse, and higher risk-taking propensity was associated with greater risk of relapse to drink. CONCLUSION: Our study presents new insights into risk-taking measurement and identifies computational markers that provide prospective information for relapse to drink in individuals with AUD.

Management of Venous Access Port to Overcome Kinesiophobia of Patients with Malignant Tumors: A Review.

The number of patients with malignant tumors is increasing in China, and venous access ports have unique advantages for chemotherapy. Currently, China's research on venous access port-mediated kinesiophobia is still in the developing stage. Using the combination of subjective words and freedom words, and based on literature traceability methods, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, Vipp, Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM), Web of Science, The COCHRANE LIBRARY, Embase, and PubMed were searched. Relevant articles published from the construction of the database to October 30, 2023, were identified. Based on the many articles and analyses, the methods of assessing kinesiophobia in malignant tumors patients using venous access port, the related influencing factors and the preventive and intervention strategies were collated. We found 33 articles examining kinesiophobia in oncology patients, of which 4 were specifically conducted on patients with malignant tumors using VAPs or PICCs. The relevant preventive and therapeutic experiences regarding kinesiophobia in cancer patients with VAP still need improvement. Nursing staff can use assessment tools such as the Tampa Rating Scale for Kinesiophobia, the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, and the Cancer Fatigue Scale to reasonably and effectively assess kinesiophobia among patients with malignant tumors who use VAPs. Attention should be paid to the mechanisms and roles of demographic factors, pain and foreign body sensation, cancer fatigue, pain management strategies, and other factors influencing kinesiophobia. This study provides advice to nursing staff for the management of VAP. Such considerations may reduce the complications of kinesiophobia and improve the quality of life of patients.

Characterization of core microbiota of barley seeds from different continents for origin tracing and quarantine pathogen assessment.

Seeds are important microbial vectors, and seed-associated pathogens can be introduced into a country through trade, resulting in yield and quality losses in agriculture. The aim of this study was to characterize the microbial communities associated with barley seeds, and based on which, to develop technical approaches to trace their geographical origins, and to inspect and identify quarantine pathogens. Our analysis defined the core microbiota of barley seed and revealed significant differences in the barley seed-associated microbial communities among different continents, suggesting a strong geographic specificity of the barley seed microbiota. By implementing a machine learning model, we achieved over 95% accuracy in tracing the origin of barley seeds. Furthermore, the analysis of co-occurrence and exclusion patterns provided important insights into the identification of candidate biocontrol agents or microbial inoculants that could be useful in improving barley yield and quality. A core pathogen database was developed, and a procedure for inspecting potential quarantine species associated with barley seed was established. These approaches proved effective in detecting four fungal and three bacterial quarantine species for the first time in the port of China. This study not only characterized the core microbiota of barley seeds but also provided practical approaches for tracing the regional origin of barley and identifying potential quarantine pathogens.

Nanoarchitectonics-based electrochemical aptasensors for highly efficient exosome detection.

Exosomes, a type of extracellular vesicles, have attracted considerable attention due to their ability to provide valuable insights into the pathophysiological microenvironment of the cells from which they originate. This characteristic implicates their potential use as diagnostic disease biomarkers clinically, including cancer, infectious diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. Aptasensors, which are electrochemical aptamers based biosensing devices, have emerged as a new class of powerful detection technology to conventional methods like ELISA and Western analysis, primarily because of their capability for high-performance bioanalysis. This review covers the current research landscape on the detection of exosomes utilizing nanoarchitectonics strategy for the development of electrochemical aptasensors. Strategies involving signal amplification and biofouling prevention are discussed, with an emphasis on nanoarchitectonics-based bio-interfaces, showcasing their potential to enhance sensitivity and selectivity through optimal conduction and mass transport properties. The ongoing challenges to broaden the clinical applications of these biosensors are also highlighted.

This review emphasizes the significant impact of integrating nanoarchitectonics into aptamer-based electrochemical biosensors for exosome detection, thereby enhancing early disease detection and monitoring disease progression in clinical settings.

RIS-Assisted D2D Communication over Nakagami-m Fading with RSMA.

In this study, we investigated reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted device-to-device (D2D) communication systems over Nakagami-m fading channels. To enhance the reliability of RIS-assisted D2D communications, we utilized the rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) technique to maximize the achievable ergodic rate for our considered systems. Specifically, both devices decoded the common symbol by treating private symbols as interference, and then each private symbol was decoded by treating the other as interference. In order to maximize the achievable ergodic rate at the destination, we analyzed the achievable ergodic rate of the RIS link and the D2D link, and the destination jointly decoded both symbols transmitted from the source and device by involving the maximum ratio combination (MRC). We obtained a closed-form expression for the achievable ergodic rate of the proposed RIS-assisted D2D communication system. Finally, we investigated the influence of power allocation factors and the number of reflective elements on the achievable ergodic rate. As seen by the numerical results, there was a good match between the analysis and simulation results, as well as significant superiority compared with existing works.

The role of absolute humidity in influenza transmission in Beijing, China: risk assessment and attributable fraction identification.

To assess the impact of absolute humidity on influenza transmission in Beijing from 2014 to 2019, we estimated the influenza transmissibility via the instantaneous reproduction number (Rt), and evaluated its nonlinear exposure-response association and delayed effects with absolute humidity by using the distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM). Attributable fraction (AF) of Rt due to absolute humidity was calculated. The result showed a significant M-shaped relationship between Rt and absolute humidity. Compared with the effect of high absolute humidity, the low absolute humidity effect was more immediate with the most significant effect observed at lag 6 days. AFs were relatively high for the group aged 15-24 years, and was the lowest for the group aged 0-4 years with low absolute humidity. Therefore, we concluded that the component attributed to the low absolute humidity effect is greater. Young and middle-aged people are more sensitive to low absolute humidity than children and elderly.

Genome-wide identification of aberrant alternative splicing and RNA-binding protein regulators in acute myeloid leukaemia which may contribute to immune microenvironment remodelling.

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is one of the most lethal cancers of the haematopoietic system with a poorly understood aetiology. Recent studies have shown that aberrant alternative splicing (AS) and a (RBP) regulators are highly associated with the pathogenesis of AML. This study presents an overview of the abnormal AS and differential expression of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in AML and further highlights their close relation to the remodelling of the immune microenvironment in AML patients. An in-depth understanding of the regulatory mechanism underlying AML will contribute to the future development of strategies for the prevention, diagnosis and therapy of AML and thus improve the overall survival of patients with AML.

Multifunctional Nanoprobe-Amplified Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay on Capillary: A Universal Platform for Simple, Rapid, and Ultrasensitive Dual-Mode Pathogen Detection.

Although the traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been widely applied in pathogen detection and clinical diagnostics, it always suffers from complex procedures, a long incubation time, unsatisfying sensitivity, and a single signal readout. Here, we developed a simple, rapid, and ultrasensitive platform for dual-mode pathogen detection based on a multifunctional nanoprobe integrated with a capillary ELISA (CLISA) platform. The novel capture antibodies-modified capillaries can act as a swab to combine in situ trace sampling and detection procedures, eliminating the dissociation between sampling and detection in traditional ELISA assays. With excellent photothermal and peroxidase-like activity, the Fe3O4@MoS2 nanoprobe with a unique p-n heterojunction was chosen as an enzyme substitute and amplified signal tag to label the detection antibody for further sandwich immune sensing. As the analyte concentration increased, the Fe3O4@MoS2 probe could generate dual-mode signals, including remarkable color changes from the chromogenic substrate oxidation as well as photothermal enhancement. Moreover, to avoid false negative results, the excellent magnetic capability of the Fe3O4@MoS2 probe can be used to pre-enrich the trace analytes, amplifying the detection signal and enhancing the immunoassay's sensitivity. Under optimal conditions, specific and rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 has been realized successfully based on this integrated nanoprobe-enhanced CLISA platform. The detection limits were 5.41 pg·mL-1 for the photothermal assay and 150 pg·mL-1 for the visual colorimetric assay. More importantly, the simple, affordable, and portable platform can also be expanded to rapidly detect other targets such as Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhimurium in practical samples, making it a universal and attractive tool for multiple pathogen analysis and clinical testing in the post COVID-19 era.

Epidemiological features, genomic characteristics, and origin tracing of the COVID-19 outbreaks in Beijing from January to September 2022.

Different variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 have been discovered globally. At present, the Omicron variant has been extensively circulated worldwide. There have been several outbreaks of the Omicron variant in China. Here, we investigated the epidemiologic, genetic characteristics, and origin-tracing data of the outbreaks of COVID-19 in Beijing from January to September 2022. During this time, 19 outbreaks occurred in Beijing, with the infected cases ranging from 2 to 2230. Two concern variants were detected, with eight genotypes. Based on origin tracing analysis, two outbreaks were from the cold-chain transmission and three from items contaminated by humans. Imported cases have caused other outbreaks. Our study provided a detailed analysis of Beijing's outbreaks and valuable information to control the outbreak's spread.

Optimization of optical and structural properties of Al2O3/TiO2 nano-laminates deposited by atomic layer deposition for optical coating.

Optimizing the atomic layer deposition (ALD) process of films is particularly important in preparing multilayer interference films. In this work, a series of Al2O3/TiO2 nano-laminates with a fixed growth cycle ratio of 1:10 were deposited on Si and fused quartz substrates at 300 °C by ALD. The optical properties, crystallization behavior, surface appearance and microstructures of those laminated layers were systematically investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry, spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope and transmission electron microscopy. By inserting Al2O3 interlayers into TiO2 layers, the crystallization of the TiO2 is reduced and the surface roughness becomes smaller. The TEM images show that excessively dense distribution of Al2O3 intercalation leads to the appearance of TiO2 nodules, which in turn leads to increased roughness. The Al2O3/TiO2 nano-laminate with a cycle ratio 40:400 has relatively small surface roughness. Additionally, oxygen-deficient defects exist at the interface of Al2O3 and TiO2, leading to evident absorption. Using O3 as an oxidant instead of H2O for depositing Al2O3 interlayers was verified to be effective in reducing absorption during broadband antireflective coating experiments.

Soft and Rigid Integrated Durable Coating for Large-Scale Deicing.

Soft silicone has been widely used for anti-icing coating, but the ice adhesion strength is usually scaled with the iced area at a relatively large thickness. On the other hand, a thin rigid poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) film could be independent of the iced area and was named a low-interfacial-toughness material. Thus, a soft and rigid integrated (SRI) coating was prepared by doping PVC particles into a silicone matrix here. The introduction of PVC particles not only served as phase II to accelerate the stress concentration but also favored the formation of a wrinkle structure. After further introducing plasticizers, this SRI coating not only has a very low ice adhesion strength at a low iced length but also tends to a limit value irrespective of the iced length, which further leads to excellent large-area deicing behavior. Furthermore, the SRI coating demonstrated outstanding chemical stability, mechanical robustness, and on-field repairability.