Herein, we propose a special type of periodic subwavelength structure, which is optically an effective gradient-index (GRIN) antireflective surface that also exhibits enhanced-hydrophobic behaviour. Our new concept was developed adopting both the effective medium theory (EMT) and Wenzel's wettability model. To demonstrate the concept, an inverted pyramid structure was fabricated by electron beam (EB) lithography and anisotropic etching. The experimental data was found to be in good agreement with the theoretical prediction. Some potential applications that can benefit from this combination of antireflection and enhanced-hydrophobicity features are discussed.

In this study, high-performance SnO2/TiO2 nanotube (TNT) nanocomposites were prepared through a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The samples retained a high BET surface area because they were calcination-free. The BET surface area of all of the samples was over 300 m2/g, and the length was within 100–200 nm. During the hydrothermal reaction, a heterojunction between the SnO2 and TNTs through oriented attachment was achieved. Additionally, we demonstrate that the introduction of cassiterite SnO2 as a precursor in the hydrothermal process can induce the growth of anatase TiO2. A SnO2/TNT nanocomposite photocatalyst not only facilitated dye adsorption at a high concentration around the surface of the nanocomposites but also exhibited efficient charge separation properties and achieved outstanding photocatalytic performance. This study proposes a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly synthetic strategy for fabrication of TNT-based heterostructures as high-performance photocatalysts through adding precursors in the proper amounts.

The spike (S) protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 mediates receptor binding and virus-host cell membrane fusion during virus entry. Many neutralizing antibodies (nAbs), which targeted the receptor binding domain (RBD) of S protein, lost the neutralizing activity against the newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants with sequence mutations at the RBD.

Angiopoietin-like protein 1 (ANGPTL1) is a member of the ANGPTL family that suppresses angiogenesis, cancer invasion, metastasis, and cancer progression. ANGPTL1 is down-regulated in various cancers including colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the effects and mechanisms of ANGPTL1 on liver metastasis and cancer stemness in CRC are poorly understood. In the present study, we identified that ANGPTL1 was down-regulated in CRC and inversely correlated with metastasis and poor clinical outcomes in CRC patients form the ONCOMINE database and Human Tissue Microarray staining. ANGPTL1 significantly suppressed the migration/invasion abilities, the expression of cancer stem cell (CSC) markers, and sphere formation by enhancing FOXO3a expression, which contributed to the reduction of stem cell transcription factor SOX2 expression in CRC cells. Consistently, overexpression of ANGPTL1 reduced liver metastasis, tumor growth, and tumorigenicity in tumor-bearing mice. ANGPTL1 expression was negatively correlated with CSC markers expression and poor clinical outcomes in CRC patients. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the molecular mechanisms of ANGPTL1 in colorectal cancer stem cell progression may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for CRC.

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