We carry out the joint study of the semileptonic tau decays into the two-meson and axion-meson channels, viz. 7--+ (P1P2)-v7 and 7- r-(K-)av7 the model-independent axion-gluon-gluon interaction. By utilizing the-0 ?]r '--axion mixing matrix elements from recent studies, we calculate the pertinent two-pseudoscalar boson form factors. To simultaneously fit the experimental spectra measured in the Cabibbo allowed process and also the Cabibbo suppressed 7--+ (KSr-, K-rj)v7 ones, we determine all the relevant hadron resonance parameters. Then we give predictions to the spectra and branching ratios for various channels, such as --+ (, -r]', K-r]',7r-a, K-a)v7. We also calculate the forward-backward asymmetries for all the aforementioned channels. The interplay between the scalar and vector form factors for different observables is analyzed in detail. Our theoretical predictions supply useful guidance to the future tau experiments, such as those at Belle-II, Super Tau-Charm Facility and Tera-Z factory of Circular Electron-Positron Collider. within the framework of resonance chiral theory by including - -0

In this work we study the axion/axion-like particle production from the lepton-nucleon scattering in the low-energy region, i.e., the lN -* lNa processes, l being the electron or muon and N the proton or neutron. We simultaneously include three different types of axion interaction couplings within the chiral ga gamma gamma, and axion-photon-vector meson resonance couplings g rho a gamma and g omega a gamma. Vast inputs from the lattice QCD and hadron phenomenological studies are used to fix the unknown couplings. The relative strengths of different axion interactions in the lN -* lNa processes are then revealed. We provide detailed predictions for the differential cross sections with respect to various angles and axion energy, as well as the total cross sections in the low-energy region around production thresholds, both for the Kim-Shifman-VainsteinZakharov (KSVZ) and Dine-Fischler-Srednicki-Zhitnitsky (DFSZ) axion models.

We discuss the landscape of flavor physics at the Circular Electron-Positron Collider (CEPC), based on the nominal luminosity outlined in its Technical Design Report. The CEPC is designed to operate in multiple modes to address a variety of tasks. At the Z pole, the expected production of 4 Tera Z bosons will provide unique and highly precise measurements of Z boson couplings, while the substantial number of boosted heavy-flavored quarks and leptons produced in clean Z decays will facilitate investigations into their flavor physics with unprecedented precision. We investigate the prospects of measuring various physics benchmarks and discuss their implications for particle theories and phenomenological models. Our studies indicate that, with its highlighted advantages and anticipated excellent detector performance, the CEPC can explore beauty and tau physics in ways that are superior to or complementary with the Belle II and Large-Hadron-Collider-beauty experiments, potentially enabling the detection of new physics at energy scales of 10 TeV and above. This potential also extends to the observation of yet-to-be-discovered rare and exotic processes, as well as testing fundamental principles such as lepton flavor universality, lepton and baryon number conservation, etc., making the CEPC a vibrant platform for flavor physics research. The WW threshold scan, Higgs-factory operation and top-pair productions of the CEPC further enhance its merits in this regard, especially for measuring the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements, and Flavor-Changing-Neutral-Current physics of Higgs boson and top quarks. We outline the requirements for detector performance and considerations for future development to achieve the anticipated scientific goals. The role of machine learning for innovative detector design and advanced reconstruction algorithms is also stressed. The CEPC flavor physics program not only develops new capabilities for exploring flavor physics beyond existing projects but also enriches the physics opportunities of this machine. It should be remarked that, given the richness of the CEPC flavor physics, this manuscript is not meant to be a comprehensive survey, but rather an investigation of representative cases. Uncovering the full potential of flavor physics at the CEPC will require further dedicated explorations in the future.

A comprehensive analysis of $\pi K\rightarrow \pi K$ and $\pi\pi\rightarrow K\bar K$ amplitudes at large unphysical pion mass for all important partial waves is presented. A set of crossing-symmetric partial-wave hyperbolic dispersion relations is used to describe lattice QCD data at $m_\pi=391~$MeV. In the present analysis, the amplitudes for the $S$- and $P$-waves are formulated by combining the constraints of analyticity, unitarity, and crossing symmetry, fulfilling Roy-Steiner-type equations. We use these results to investigate the low-lying strange-meson resonances and resolve the instability problem tied to analytic continuation in prior lattice QCD studies based on the $K$-matrix formalism. At $m_\pi=391~$MeV, the rigorous Roy-Steiner-type equation approach allows us to determine the $S$-wave scattering lengths, $m_\pi a_0^{1/2}=\left(0.92_{-0.28}^{+0.06}\right)$, $m_\pi a_0^{3/2}=-\left(0.32_{-0.02}^{+0.05}\right)$, and the $\kappa$ (also known as $K_0^*(700)$) pole position, $\sqrt{s_\kappa}=\left(966_{-24}^{+41}-i 198_{-17}^{+38}\right)~$MeV. We also provide a detailed analysis of the complex validity domain of the Roy-Steiner-type equations.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) exhibits an exceptionally low responsiveness to immunotherapy due to its “cold” tumor immune microenvironment. It is urgent to design a rational therapy to reverse “cold” tumors into “hot” ones to improve the therapeutic effects. In this study, we developed a series of immune-activating lipo-polylysine (IAPs), designated as IAP-1 to IAP-9, that display both oncolytic and immunogenic cell death (ICD)-inducing activities. It is confirmed that both oncolytic activity and ICD-inducing capacity of IAPs are structure-dependent. Among them, IAP-4 exhibits the most effective oncolytic and ICD-inducing capabilities in 4T1 tumor cells. Mechanistic investigations suggest that IAP-4 can induce cancer cell necrosis through a membrane-lytic mechanism and trigger potent ICD of tumor cells through membrane lysis and mitochondrial damage. In vivo antitumor activity determination results indicate that IAP-4 effectively converses cold tumors to hot by inducing ICD. This process not only inhibits primary tumors but also elicits specific antitumor immune memory, leading to a significant suppression of tumor recurrence and metastasis. Briefly, this work pioneers a promising drug-free strategy for oncolytic immunotherapy.

We pursue the calculation of the model-independent component of the axion-photon-photon coupling in the U(3) chiral perturbation theory up to next-to-leading order, with the emphasis on the isospin breaking effect. The mixing of the π ^0 - η - η ' -axion system is revised as well by working out the complete linear isospin-breaking terms. Our calculation shows that the isospin-breaking correction to the axion-photon-photon coupling amounts to more than 15

Charge-parity (CP) violation in the tau-charm energy region is a promising area for sensitive tests of Standard Model (SM) predictions and searches for new, beyond the SM physics. A future Tau-Charm Facility that operates at center-of-mass energies between 2.0 and 7.0 GeV, with a peak luminosity of 0.5×10^35 cm^-2s^-1, would provide huge numbers of hadrons and tau (τ) leptons that are produced in low-background environments and with well understood kinematic properties. In this report, prospects for unique studies of CP violation in the decay of charmed hadrons, and in the production and decay of hyperons and τ leptons at a next-generation tau-charm facility are discussed. In addition, opportunities for improved tests of CPT invariance test in K^0-K̅^0 mixing are presented.

The axion thermalization rate is a crucial input to determine the hot dark matter bound of axions, resulting from the scattering processes in the thermal bath of early Universe. We demonstrate that the commonly employed axion thermalization rate by including the ar <-> rr channel alone is significantly underestimated for the temperature T above 100 MeV. This is obtained through the systematical calculation of the axion-light flavor meson scattering amplitudes within the framework of the chiral unitarization approach, paying special attention to the aK <-> rK reaction. Hadron resonances appearing in aK <-> rK amplitudes significantly enlarge the cross sections, which turn out to be much bigger than that of ar <-> rr. The axion thermalization rate is then substantially enhanced by the aK <-> rK channel for T greater than or similar to 100 MeV. Especially at T <^> 130 MeV, the contribution from the aK <-> rK reaction to the axion thermalization rate exceeds the ar <-> rr one. Obviously more stringent constraints on the axion parameters are obtained, when confronting the number of extra relativistic degrees of freedom Delta Neff from Planck'18.

Cationic oncolytic polypeptides have gained increasing attention owing to their ability to directly lyse cancer cells and activate potent antitumor immunity. However, the low tumor cell selectivity and inherent toxicity induced by positive charges of oncolytic polypeptides hinder their systemic application. Herein, a tumor microenvironment-responsive nanoparticle (DNP) is developed by the self-assembly of a cationic oncolytic polypeptide (PLP) with a pH-sensitive anionic polypeptide via electrostatic interactions. After the formation of DNP, the positive charges of PLP are shielded. DNPs can keep stable in physiological conditions (pH 7.4) but respond to acidic tumor microenvironment (pH 6.8) to release oncolytic PLP. As a result, DNPs evoke potent immunogenic cell death by disrupting cell membranes, damaging mitochondria and increasing intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species. In vivo results indicate that DNPs significantly improve the biocompatibility of PLP, and inhibit tumor growth, recurrence and metastasis by direct oncolysis and activation of antitumor immune responses. In summary, these results indicate that pH-sensitive DNPs represent a prospective strategy to improve the tumor selectivity and biosafety of cationic polymers for oncolytic immunotherapy.

Many exotic charmoniumlike mesons have already been discovered experimentally, of which the Z(c) mesons with isospin 1 are prominent examples. We investigate J(PC) = 1(++/-) states with flavor c(-)cq(-)q(q=u, d) in isospin 1 using lattice QCD. This is the first study of these mesons employing more than one volume and involving frames with nonzero total momentum. We utilize two N-f =2 +1 CLS ensembles with m(pi) similar or equal to 280 MeV. The simulations are performed with unphysical light quark masses at a single lattice spacing of a similar or equal to 0.086 fm and omit psi(2S)pi, psi(3770)pi and three-particle decay channels, so our results provide only qualitative insights. Resulting eigenenergies are compatible or just slightly shifted down with respect to noninteracting energies, where the most significant shifts occur for certain D (D) over bar* states. Both channels 1(++/-) have a virtual pole slightly below the threshold if D (D) over bar* is assumed to be decoupled from other channels. In addition, we perform a coupled channel analysis of J/psi pi and D (D) over bar* scattering with J(PC) =1(+-) within an effective field theory framework. The J/psi pi and D (D) over bar* invariant-mass distributions from BESIII and finite-volume energies from several lattice QCD simulations, including this work, are fitted simultaneously. All fits yield two poles relatively close to the D (D) over bar* threshold and reasonably reproduce the experimental Z(c) peaks. They also reproduce lattice energies up to slightly above the D (D) over bar* threshold, while reproduction at even higher energies is better for fits that put more weight on the lattice data. Our findings suggest that the employed effective field theory can reasonably reconcile the peaks in the experimental line shapes and the lattice energies, although those lie close to noninteracting energies. We also study J/psi pi scattering in s wave and place upper bounds on the phase shift.

We present a calculation by including the relativistic and off-shell contributions to the interaction potentials between two spin-1/2 fermions mediated by the exchange of light spin-0 particles, in both momentum and coordinate spaces. Our calculation is based on the four-point Green function rather than the scattering amplitude. Among the sixteen potential components, eight that vanish in the non-relativistic limit are shown to acquire nonzero relativistic and off-shell corrections. In addition to providing relativistic and off-shell corrections to the operator basis commonly used in the literature, we introduce an alternative operator basis that facilitates the derivation of interaction potentials in coordinate space. Furthermore, we calculate both the long-range and short-range components of the potentials, which can be useful for future experimental analyses at both macroscopic and atomic scales.

We calculate the nucleon mass in a manifestly relativistic baryon chiral perturbation theory up to the leading two-loop order. Through dimensional counting analysis, we perform the chiral expansion and verify the validity of the extended-on-mass-shell scheme at the two-loop level. As a result, we obtain the complete chiral representation of the nucleon mass up to 𝒪(p^5), which preserves the original analytic properties and satisfies the correct power counting. The obtained chiral result is well-suited for chiral extrapolation and provides an excellent description of lattice QCD data across a broad range of pion masses. We find that the 𝒪(p^5) contribution is small, approximately 10 MeV, and varies only mildly with increasing pion mass, demonstrating good convergence of the nucleon mass up to pion masses of about 350 MeV at two-loop order.

Targeted induction of mitochondrial dysfunction by cationic polypeptides represents a promising strategy for inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD). Nevertheless, cationic polypeptides face challenges in systemic application due to poor tumor selectivity and inherent toxicity caused by their positive charges. Herein, a pH-responsive nanoparticle (CA-NP) is prepared through electrostatic self-assembly of a mitochondria-targeting cationic polypeptide (MTP) and an acid-sensitive anionic polypeptide. CA-NPs effectively shield the positive charges and improve the intratumoral accumulation of MTP. Upon cellular uptake, the pH-responsive CA-NPs can dissociate within acidic endolysosomes to release MTP. Following endolysosomal escape, the liberated MTP selectively localizes to mitochondria, causing mitochondrial damage and stimulating intracellular reactive oxygen species generation, which ultimately induces ICD. Consequently, CA-NPs substantially enhance the biosafety profile of MTP while effectively suppressing tumor growth through mitochondrial disruption and systemic antitumor immune activation. Together, these findings position pH-responsive CA-NPs as a promising therapeutic platform that could improve both the precision and the safety of cationic polypeptide-based cancer immunotherapy.

We perform a rigorous analysis of the πK scattering at an unphysical pion mass 391 MeV using the Roy-Steiner equations, which satisfy unitarity, analyticity and crossing symmetry, for the first time. Stable solutions of the Roy-Steiner equations with different quantum numbers of isospin and angular momentum are obtained in the elastic energy region, by taking inputs from the πK lattice data in the inelastic region, the lattice data from the crossed ππ→ KK̅ channels, the masses of f_0(500) and K^* at the same pion mass from previous study, and the Regge model. Predictions on the elastic πK scattering phase shifts and the K_0^*(700) pole content are made. Contrary to the virtual pole scenario obtained using the K-matrix method in the literature, we find that lightest strange scalar meson K_0^*(700) remains a broad resonance at m_π=391 MeV. The cross-channel dynamics is found to play a crucial role in deriving the proper pole position.

A comprehensive analysis of nK-* nK and nn-* KK amplitudes at large unphysical pion mass for all important partial waves is presented. A set of crossing-symmetric partial-wave hyperbolic dispersion relations is used to describe lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) data at mn 1/4 391 MeV. In the present analysis, the amplitudes for the S-and P-waves are formulated by combining the constraints of analyticity, unitarity, and crossing symmetry, fulfilling Roy-Steiner-type equations. We use these results to investigate the low-lying strange-meson resonances and resolve the instability problem tied to analytic continuation in prior lattice QCD studies based on the K-matrix formalism. At mn 1/4 391 MeV, the rigorous Roy-Steiner-type equation approach allows us to determine the S-wave scattering lengths, mna0 1/4 (0.92+0.06 1/2-0.28 ), mna3/2 0 1/4-(0.32+0.05-0.02 ), and the K [also known as K*0(700)] pole position, p 1/4 (966+41 ffiffiffiffi sK-24-i198+38-17) MeV. We also provide a detailed analysis of the complex validity domain of the Roy-Steiner-type equations.

The pion-nucleon sigma term, characterizing the mass component of Higgs origin related to u and d quarks inside the nucleon, is investigated within relativistic baryon chiral perturbation theory at leading two-loop order using the extended-on-mass-shell renormalization scheme. The two-loop representation of the sigma term is derived from the nucleon mass via the Feynman-Hellmann theorem and verified through a direct calculation of the forward isoscalar-scalar nucleon matrix element. We apply the derived chiral expression to extract the physical pion-nucleon sigma term by extrapolating N_f=2+1 lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) data at unphysical quark masses. We find that, at the two-loop level, the long-standing tension between lattice QCD and dispersive determinations can be naturally resolved, owing to the incorporation of intermediate ππ rescattering effects that begin to contribute at two-loop order. Our final result for the nucleon sigma term based on recent lattice QCD calculations is σ_πN=55.9(2.5) MeV. It is compatible with the result of the Roy-Steiner equation analysis and thus provides a satisfactory resolution to the previous debate between lattice QCD and phenomenological determinations.

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) has gained increasing attention due to its capacity to trigger anticancer immunity. Herein, we report a series of fabricated cationic spherical polypeptides (CSPs) designated CSP-0 to CSP-57, with oncolytic activity and ICDinducing ability. CSP-57 exerted the optimal broadspectrum and tumor -cell -selective cytotoxicity by disrupting cell membranes and inducing cell necrosis. Moreover, CSP-57 damaged mitochondrial membranes, thereby elevating intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species, leading to robust ICD of tumor cells featured by multiple damage -associated molecular patterns, including calreticulin, high -mobility group box 1, and adenosine triphosphate. In vivo anticancer activity determination results suggested that CSP-57 significantly delayed B16F10 tumor growth in mice by direct oncolysis and subsequent induction of ICD. The immunotherapeutic efficacy of CSP-57 was characterized by elevated ratios of cytotoxic T cells in tumors and spleens. Briefly, this work indicates that CSPs represent a promising strategy for oncolytic immunotherapy.

The dye-doped silica nanoparticles-based electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) has been widely explored for analytical purposes due to its high sensitivity, simplicity and wide dynamic concentration range. However, only a few of dye molecules located at the near surface of nanoparticles can participate in the ECL reaction due to the poor conductivity of silica nano-matrix. In addition, the ECL signal is easy to be affected by environmental interference, which results in poor accuracy. Herein, a ratiometric ECL sensing method is established based on the electrochemically controlled release of lucigenin molecules from silica/chitosan/lucigenin composite nanoparticles (Lu/CS NPs) with the aid of sulfide ions. Firstly, H+ produced from the electrochemical oxidation of HS- ions can combine with SiO- and displace lucigenin from Lu/CS NPs. The released lucigenin molecules react with the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from the electroreduction of dissolved oxygen to produce the cathodic ECL signal. In addition, the excited elemental sulfur from the electrooxidation of HS- ions transfers its energy to lucigenin molecules and makes them be excited to produce energy-transfer anodic ECL signal. Based on these findings, a ratiometric ECL sensor is developed taking the anodic ECL intensity of lucigenin as a reference signal for the cathodic ECL of lucigenin. The proposed ratiometric ECL sensor has been successfully applied to the detection of let-7a with a wide linear range of 0.1-9.0 pM, a low detection limit of 28 fM, high selectivity and good reproducibility. Moreover, the developed approach was used to detect let-7a in human serum composite samples with good recoveries

Here we report a brand-new bioactive polymer featuring sulfonium moieties that exhibits the capability of inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) for anticancer therapy. The optimized polysulfonium presents a wide spectrum of potent anticancer activity and remarkable selectivity. In-depth mechanistic studies reveal that the polymer exerts its cytotoxic effects on cancer cells through a membrane-disrupting mechanism. This further initiates the release of a plethora of damage-associated molecular patterns, effectively triggering ICD and resulting in systemic anticancer immune responses. Notably, the compound demonstrated significant efficacy in suppressing tumor growth in the B16-F10 melanoma tumor model. Furthermore, it exhibits robust immune memory effects, effectively suppressing tumor recurrence and metastasis in both the rechallenge model and the lung metastatic tumor model. To the best of our knowledge, the study represents the pioneering exportation of cationic polysulfoniums, showcasing not only their remarkable safety and efficacy against primary tumors but also their unique ability in activating long-term immune memory.

We calculate the amplitudes of the axion photoproduction off the nucleon, i.e., gamma N -* aN, within the framework of chiral effective field theory. Several different types of contributions are simultaneously included in our calculation, namely, the nucleon exchanges up to next-to-leading order, the a gamma gamma vertex, and the vector-meson exchanges in the t channel. We utilize the existing hadronic inputs as much as possible to fix the unknown couplings. A comprehensive study of the phenomenological discussions is then provided in this work. Different mechanisms in the gamma N -* aN processes manifest distinct behaviors in the total and differential cross sections, which could provide useful quantities to distinguish different axion models.