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We study in this article three birational invariants of projective hyper-Kähler manifolds: the degree of irrationality, the fibering gonality, and the fibering genus. We first improve the lower bound in a recent result of Voisin saying that the fibering genus of a Mumford–Tate very general projective hyper-Kähler manifold is bounded from below by a constant depending on its dimension and the second Betti number. We also study the relations between these birational invariants for projective |$K3$| surfaces of Picard number |$1$| and study the asymptotic behaviors of their degree of irrationality and fibering genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An excellent enhancement performance surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrate with high sensitivity and repeatability was fabricated to meet the real-time detection of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike-1 protein. The substrate based on silver/titanium dioxide nanocomposites is synthesized by hydrothermal and magnetron sputtering methods on titanium foil, which is characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscope and employed on rhodamine 6G and spike-1 protein to get the limit of detection with 10−8 M and 10 ng/mL, respectively. It is found that the sensitivity can be effectively enhanced with dropwise condensation by exploring the effects of freezing treatment and the evaporation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extrusion‐based three‐dimensional (3D) printing has been extensively studied in the food manufacturing industry. This technology places particular emphasis on the rheological properties of the printing ink. Gel system is the most suitable ink system and benefits from the composition of plant raw materials and gel properties of multiple components; green, healthy aspects of the advantages of the development of plant‐based gel system has achieved a great deal of attention. However, the relevant treatment technologies are still only at the laboratory stage. With a view toward encouraging further optimization of ink printing performance and advances in this field, in this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the application of diverse plant‐based gel systems in 3D food printing and emphasize the utilization of different treatment methods to enhance the printability of these gel systems. The treatment technologies described in this review are categorized into three distinct groups, physical, chemical, and physicochemical synergistic treatments. We comprehensively assess the specific application of these technologies in various plant‐based gel 3D printing systems and present valuable insights regarding the challenges and opportunities for further advances in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appropriate treatment of mass‐produced degraded batteries is desired to alleviate resource waste and environmental pollution caused by direct disposal. However, current technologies, which aim to recycle high‐value components from degraded batteries to refabricate new batteries, suffer from complex destruction‐refabrication processes and massive energy/resource inputs. Here it is found that without disassembling the degraded battery, the lost capacity is rejuvenated to its pristine state by simply applying electrical activation at a controlled voltage. It is shown that repeated application of electrical activation regenerates 22 life cycles for zinc‐ion batteries, increasing the total discharge energy by 78 times. The capacity rejuvenation by electrical activation originates from the transformation of redox‐inert Zn‐Mn‐O by‐products on the degraded cathode to redox‐active Mn‐O nanoribbons, which recovers diffusion kinetics of Zn2+/H+ charge carriers. Simultaneously, the dendrites on the degraded anode are flattened to prevent short circuits while maintaining the electrolyte integrity. The electrical activation strategy is extendable to other batteries, such as lithium batteries, promising tremendous economic and environmental benefits. Besides, electrical activation rejuvenates implanted batteries to avoid the pain and hazards of replacing degraded batteries with conventional surgeries. This work presents a general and commercially viable route to treat degraded batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pickering foams are produced using CNC and LAE and show excellent storage stability. • Pickering foams exhibit 3D printability due to viscoelastic solid-like behavior. • Surface areas of the print were enlarged by increasing the infill line spacings. • The foam has potential applications in mitigating microplastic pollution. Environmentally friendly porous materials have garnered widespread attention for the removal of nondegradable pollutants because of their high specific surface areas. Herein, biosafe ethyl lauroyl arginate hydrochloride (LAE) was incorporated as a Pickering stabilizer to enhance the hydrophobic properties of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) foam. The obtained LAE-CNC foam exhibited excellent 3D printing characteristics. The effects of different CNC loadings on the morphology, stability, rheology, and 3D printability of the Pickering foams were investigated. While an increase in CNC loading enhanced the apparent viscosity and continuous phase network of the foam, which was beneficial for maintaining the structure after printing, excessive CNC addition may have compromised the continuity of printed lines and interlayer adhesion, deteriorating the printing quality. The foam with 10.0 wt% CNC and 0.15 wt% LAE exhibited balanced stability and porosity, along with optimal printing performance. Subsequently, the foam was printed and freeze-dried to obtain porous scaffolds. An increase in infill spacing resulted in enhanced adsorption of polystyrene microspheres owing to the enlarged surface area. Overall, this highly stable and sustainable LAE-CNC foam is a promising printing ink with potential applications in various fields, including mitigating microplastic pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) hydrogels are increasingly used in various applications. Here, CNC hydrogels were formed by adding four salt ions (NaCl, KCl, MgCl 2 , and CaCl 2) to sulfated CNC suspensions. NaCl and KCl are monovalent salt ions and MgCl 2 and CaCl 2 are divalent salt ions; each pair has similar cation charges but different cation radii. This study compared the effects of four salt ions on the structure and rheological behavior of CNC hydrogels. At the same ion concentration, compared with NaCl and KCl, the addition of MgCl 2 and CaCl 2 significantly reduced the distance between the CNC particles, forming pronounced aggregates and denser network structures. Furthermore, the G′ and G″ of the CNC hydrogels with salt ions followed the order NaCl < KCl < MgCl 2 < CaCl 2 in the small-amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) test, and more viscoelastic hydrogels exhibited relatively lower deformability in the creep-recovery test. Under large-amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) conditions, the CNC hydrogels with salt ions exhibited LAOS type III behavior, and the change in yield stress followed the same order as the SAOS results. Among them, CNC hydrogel with CaCl 2 exhibited stronger nonlinear response and enhanced strain-stiffening behavior (higher I 3 / I 1 and e 3 / e 1) to resist deformation before 20% strain, as well as an enhanced softening effect (higher | v 3 /v 1 |) as the structure was destroyed and rearranged at strains ranging from 20% to 100%. Such CNC hydrogels with different salt ions, which can regulate structural and rheological properties, provide basis for designing hydrogels and meet potential requirements in food and biomedicine fields. [Display omitted] • Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) hydrogels were induced by NaCl, KCl, MgCl 2 and CaCl 2. • The MgCl 2 and CaCl 2 significantly affected the microstructure of CNC hydrogels. • The viscoelasticity of CNC hydrogels was modulated through different salt ions. • The CNC hydrogel with CaCl 2 had stronger nonlinear rheological responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) food printing is an effective technology for creating food designs with complex appearances and customized nutritional profiles. However, controlling the deformation of 3D printed foods during processing remains a challenge. Here, a food hydrocolloid with customizable designs during heating and dehydration was designed using cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and gelatin (G). The resultant cellulose nanocrystals-gelatin (CNC-G) hydrocolloid exhibited favorable rheological characteristics for three-dimensional (3D) printing. 3D printing allows the controlled oriented alignment of the CNC particles within the hydrocolloid along the printing direction, endowing the CNC-G hydrocolloid with highly anisotropic structures. This anisotropic property can cause a strain mismatch during dehydrated food processing, leading to a specific deformation of the hydrocolloid. By adjusting the 3D printing parameters and intentionally designing of the 3D printed structures, the alignment degree of CNCs within the hydrocolloid can be controlled, and thus, its deformation can be programmed. The customizable deformation of CNC-G hydrocolloid during food processing was deliberately designed through printing, and its adaptability and flexibility are demonstrated through the "flapping" of a butterfly and the "blooming" of a four-leaf clover. The flexibility and customizability of CNC-G hydrocolloid in 3D printing provide a new strategy to achieve deformation and precise control of 3D printed foods during processing. [Display omitted] • A responsive food hydrocolloid prepared through 3D printing. • The CNC particles in the hydrocolloid align under shear force during 3D printing. • The anisotropic structure makes the food hydrocolloid deform during dehydration. • The deform actuations of hydrocolloid can be controlled by printing parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) belongs to the Herpesviridae family, and is an important veterinary pathogen. Highly pathogenic PRV variants have caused severe epidemics in China since 2011, causing huge economic losses. To tackle the epidemics, we identified a panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against PRV glycoprotein B (gB) that effectively block PRV infection. Among these 15 mAbs, fourteen of them block PRV entry in a complement-dependent manner. The remaining one, 1H1 mAb, however can directly neutralize the virus independent of complement and displays broad-spectrum neutralizing activities. We further determined the crystal structure of PRV gB and mapped the epitopes of these antibodies on the structure. Interestingly, all the complement-dependent neutralizing antibodies bind gB at the crown region (domain IV). In contrast, the epitope of 1H1 mAb is located at the bottom of domain I, which includes the fusion loops, indicating 1H1 mAb might neutralize the virus by interfering with the membrane fusion process. Our studies demonstrate that gB contains multiple B-cell epitopes in its crown and base regions and that antibodies targeting different epitopes block virus infection through different mechanisms. These findings would provide important clues for antiviral drug design and vaccine development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thesyntheses are reported of the 1,1,5-trimethyl-2,8-dioxa-5-aza-1-stannabicyclo[3.3.0]octaneMeN(CH2CH2O)2SnMe2(1), its monosodium aminoalcoholate adduct [MeN(CH2CH2O)2SnMe2·MeN(CH2CH2ONa)(CH2CH2OH)]2(2), and the hexanuclear organotin oxo cluster [MeN(CH2CH2O)2SnMe2·Me2SnO]3(3). The compounds were characterizedby 1H, 13C, and 119Sn NMR spectroscopy,electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-raydiffraction analysis. In the solid state, compound 1isa tetramer that is brought about by intermolecular O→Sn interactions.In solution, however, it shows a monomer ⇌ dimer equilibriumthat is fast on the 1H, 13C, and 119Sn NMR time scales at room temperature. All compounds show intramolecularN→Sn interactions at Sn–N distances ranging between2.378(3) Å (2) and 3.026(3) Å (3·0.25H2O). Compound 3can formally beregarded as a molecular dimethyltin oxide being trapped by head-to-tailcomplexation with a stannabicyclooctane. In solution, it slowly fallsapart into 1and Me2SnO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]