Explore the vast range of titles available.

We propose an extension of the symmetric teleparallel gravity, in which the gravitational action L is given by an arbitrary function f of the non-metricity Q and of the trace of the matter-energy-momentum tensor T, so that \\[L=f(Q,T)\\]. The field equations of the theory are obtained by varying the gravitational action with respect to both metric and connection. The covariant divergence of the field equations is obtained, with the geometry–matter coupling leading to the nonconservation of the energy-momentum tensor. We investigate the cosmological implications of the theory, and we obtain the cosmological evolution equations for a flat, homogeneous and isotropic geometry, which generalize the Friedmann equations of general relativity. We consider several cosmological models by imposing some simple functional forms of the function f(Q, T), corresponding to additive expressions of f(Q, T) of the form \\[f(Q,T)=\\alpha Q+\\beta T\\], \\[f(Q,T)=\\alpha Q^{n+1}+\\beta T\\], and \\[f(Q,T)=-\\alpha Q-\\beta T^2\\]. The Hubble function, the deceleration parameter, and the matter-energy density are obtained as a function of the redshift by using analytical and numerical techniques. For all considered cases the Universe experiences an accelerating expansion, ending with a de Sitter type evolution. The theoretical predictions are also compared with the results of the standard \\[\\Lambda \\]CDM model.

We consider an f ( Q ,  T ) type gravity model in which the scalar non-metricity Q α μ ν of the space-time is expressed in its standard Weyl form, and it is fully determined by a vector field w μ . The field equations of the theory are obtained under the assumption of the vanishing of the total scalar curvature, a condition which is added into the gravitational action via a Lagrange multiplier. The gravitational field equations are obtained from a variational principle, and they explicitly depend on the scalar nonmetricity and on the Lagrange multiplier. The covariant divergence of the matter energy-momentum tensor is also determined, and it follows that the nonmetricity-matter coupling leads to the nonconservation of the energy and momentum. The energy and momentum balance equations are explicitly calculated, and the expressions of the energy source term and of the extra force are found. We investigate the cosmological implications of the theory, and we obtain the cosmological evolution equations for a flat, homogeneous and isotropic geometry, which generalize the Friedmann equations of standard general relativity. We consider several cosmological models by imposing some simple functional forms of the function f ( Q ,  T ), and we compare the predictions of the theory with the standard Λ CDM model.

Background Dysregulation of circular RNAs (circRNAs) plays an important role in the development of gastric cancer; thus, revealing the biological and molecular mechanisms of abnormally expressed circRNAs is critical for identifying novel therapeutic targets in gastric cancer. Methods A circRNA microarray was performed to identify differentially expressed circRNAs between primary and distant metastatic tissues and between gastric cancer tissues sensitive or resistant to anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) therapy. The expression of circRNA discs large homolog 1 (DLG1) was determined in a larger cohort of primary and distant metastatic gastric cancer tissues. The role of circDLG1 in gastric cancer progression was evaluated both in vivo and in vitro, and the effect of circDLG1 on the antitumor activity of anti-PD-1 was evaluated in vivo. The interaction between circDLG1 and miR-141-3p was assessed by RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays. Results circDLG1 was significantly upregulated in distant metastatic lesions and gastric cancer tissues resistant to anti-PD-1 therapy and was associated with an aggressive tumor phenotype and adverse prognosis in gastric cancer patients treated with anti-PD-1 therapy. Ectopic circDLG1 expression promoted the proliferation, migration, invasion, and immune evasion of gastric cancer cells. Mechanistically, circDLG1 interacted with miR-141-3p and acted as a miRNA sponge to increase the expression of CXCL12, which promoted gastric cancer progression and resistance to anti-PD-1-based therapy. Conclusions Overall, our findings demonstrate how circDLG1 promotes gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion and immune evasion and provide a new perspective on the role of circRNAs during gastric cancer progression.

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are regarded as the most promising next‐generation energy storage systems due to their high energy density and cost‐effectiveness. However, their practical applications are seriously hindered by several inevitable drawbacks, especially the shuttle effects of soluble lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) which lead to rapid capacity decay and short cycling lifespan. This review specifically concentrates on the shuttle path of LiPSs and their interaction with the corresponding cell components along the moving way, systematically retrospect the recent advances and strategies toward polysulfides diffusion suppression. Overall, the strategies for the shuttle effect inhibition can be classified into four parts, including capturing the LiPSs in the sulfur cathode, reducing the dissolution in electrolytes, blocking the shuttle channels by functional separators, and preventing the chemical reaction between LiPSs and Li metal anode. Herein, the fundamental aspect of Li–S batteries is introduced first to give an in‐deep understanding of the generation and shuttle effect of LiPSs. Then, the corresponding strategies toward LiPSs shuttle inhibition along the diffusion path are discussed step by step. Finally, general conclusions and perspectives for future research on shuttle issues and practical application of Li–S batteries are proposed. This review summarizes the recent advances and strategies to suppress the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) in lithium–sulfur batteries. These strategies are composed of using the modified sulfur hosts to immobilize LiPSs, electrolyte systems to alleviate shuttle behavior, functional separator to intercept LiPSs, and anode surface engineering to avoid the chemical reaction between LiPSs and Li.

Countering the optical network ‘capacity crunch’ calls for a radical development in optical fibres that could simultaneously minimize nonlinearity penalties, chromatic dispersion and maximize signal launch power. Hollow-core fibres (HCF) can break the nonlinear Shannon limit of solid-core fibre and fulfil all above requirements, but its optical performance need to be significantly upgraded before they can be considered for high-capacity telecommunication systems. Here, we report a new HCF with conjoined-tubes in the cladding and a negative-curvature core shape. It exhibits a minimum transmission loss of 2 dB km −1 at 1512 nm and a <16 dB km −1 bandwidth spanning across the O, E, S, C, L telecom bands (1302–1637 nm). The debut of this conjoined-tube HCF, with combined merits of ultralow loss, broad bandwidth, low bending loss, high mode quality and simple structure heralds a new opportunity to fully unleash the potential of HCF in telecommunication applications. Countering the optical network ‘capacity crunch’ requires developments in optical fibres. Here, the authors report a hollow-core fibre with conjoined tubes in the cladding and a negative-curvature core shape. It exhibits a transmission loss of 2 dB/km at 1512 nm and less than 16 dB/km bandwidth in the 1302–1637 nm range.

Emotion recognition based on multi-channel electroencephalograph (EEG) signals is becoming increasingly attractive. However, the conventional methods ignore the spatial characteristics of EEG signals, which also contain salient information related to emotion states. In this paper, a deep learning framework based on a multiband feature matrix (MFM) and a capsule network (CapsNet) is proposed. In the framework, the frequency domain, spatial characteristics, and frequency band characteristics of the multi-channel EEG signals are combined to construct the MFM. Then, the CapsNet model is introduced to recognize emotion states according to the input MFM. Experiments conducted on the dataset for emotion analysis using EEG, physiological, and video signals (DEAP) indicate that the proposed method outperforms most of the common models. The experimental results demonstrate that the three characteristics contained in the MFM were complementary and the capsule network was more suitable for mining and utilizing the three correlation characteristics.

We consider the Palatini formulation of f(R, T) gravity theory, in which a non-minimal coupling between the Ricci scalar and the trace of the energy-momentum tensor is introduced, by considering the metric and the affine connection as independent field variables. The field equations and the equations of motion for massive test particles are derived, and we show that the independent connection can be expressed as the Levi-Civita connection of an auxiliary, energy-momentum trace dependent metric, related to the physical metric by a conformal transformation. Similar to the metric case, the field equations impose the non-conservation of the energy-momentum tensor. We obtain the explicit form of the equations of motion for massive test particles in the case of a perfect fluid, and the expression of the extra force, which is identical to the one obtained in the metric case. The thermodynamic interpretation of the theory is also briefly discussed. We investigate in detail the cosmological implications of the theory, and we obtain the generalized Friedmann equations of the f(R, T) gravity in the Palatini formulation. Cosmological models with Lagrangians of the type f=R-α2/R+g(T) and f=R+α2R2+g(T) are investigated. These models lead to evolution equations whose solutions describe accelerating Universes at late times.

Staphylococcus aureus stands as one of the most pervasive pathogens given its morbidity and mortality worldwide due to its roles as an infectious agent that causes a wide variety of diseases ranging from moderately severe skin infections to fatal pneumonia and sepsis. S. aureus produces a variety of exotoxins that serve as important virulence factors in S. aureus-related infectious diseases and food poisoning in both humans and animals. For example, staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) produced by S. aureus induce staphylococcal foodborne poisoning; toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), as a typical superantigen, induces toxic shock syndrome; hemolysins induce cell damage in erythrocytes and leukocytes; and exfoliative toxin induces staphylococcal skin scalded syndrome. Recently, Panton–Valentine leucocidin, a cytotoxin produced by community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA), has been reported, and new types of SEs and staphylococcal enterotoxin-like toxins (SEls) were discovered and reported successively. This review addresses the progress of and novel insights into the molecular structure, biological activities, and pathogenicity of both the classic and the newly identified exotoxins produced by S. aureus.

Sulfur(vi) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) is a category of click chemistry that enables covalent linking of modular units through sulfur(vi) connective hubs. The efficiency of SuFEx and the stability of the resulting bonds have led to polymer chemistry applications. Now, we report the SuFEx click chemistry synthesis of several structurally diverse SOF4-derived copolymers based on the polymerization of bis(iminosulfur oxydifluorides) and bis(aryl silyl ethers). This polymer class presents two key characteristics. First, the [–N=S(=O)F–O–] polymer backbone linkages are themselves SuFExable and undergo precise SuFEx-based post-modification with phenols or amines to yield branched functional polymers. Second, studies of individual polymer chains of several of these new materials indicate helical polymer structures. The robust nature of SuFEx click chemistry offers the potential for post-polymerization modification, enabling the synthesis of materials with control over composition and conformation.Sulfur(vi) fluoride exchange (SuFEx)—a type of click chemistry that generates SVI-centred covalent linkages—has previously been used for polymer synthesis. Now, modular SuFEx polymerization using SOF4 has been used to generate helical polymers. Unlike previous examples of SuFEx polymerization, the backbone retains SVI–F motifs and therefore is able to undergo further SuFEx click reactions, enabling facile and efficient post-polymerization modification.

We propose a model of dynamical noncommutative quantum mechanics in which the noncommutative strengths, describing the properties of the commutation relations of the coordinate and momenta, respectively, are arbitrary energy-dependent functions. The Schrödinger equation in the energy-dependent noncommutative algebra is derived for a two-dimensional system for an arbitrary potential. The resulting equation reduces in the small energy limit to the standard quantum mechanical one, while for large energies the effects of the noncommutativity become important. We investigate in detail three cases, in which the noncommutative strengths are determined by an independent energy scale, related to the vacuum quantum fluctuations, by the particle energy, and by a quantum operator representation, respectively. Specifically, in our study we assume an arbitrary power-law energy dependence of the noncommutative strength parameters, and of their algebra. In this case, in the quantum operator representation, the Schrö dinger equation can be formulated mathematically as a fractional differential equation. For all our three models we analyze the quantum evolution of the free particle, and of the harmonic oscillator, respectively. The general solutions of the noncommutative Schrödinger equation as well as the expressions of the energy levels are explicitly obtained.