Interaction Relationship Research Articles

An MST-based assay reveals new binding preferences of IFIT1 for canonically and non-canonically capped RNAs.

IFIT proteins (interferon-induced proteins with tetratricopeptide repeats) are key components of the innate immune response that bind to viral and cellular RNA targets to inhibit viral translation and replication. The RNA target recognition is guided by molecular patterns, particularly at the RNA 5' ends. IFIT1 preferably binds RNAs modified with the 7-methylguanosine (m7G) cap-0 structure, while RNAs with cap-1 structure are recognized with lower affinity. Less is known about the propensity of IFIT1 to recognize non-canonical RNA 5' ends, including hypermethylated and non-canonical RNA caps. Deciphering the structure-function relationship for IFIT1-RNA interaction may improve the understanding of cellular selection of IFIT targets and guide the design of exogenously delivered therapeutic RNAs, but requires high-throughput and robust analytical methods. Here, we report a biophysical assay for quick, direct, in-solution affinity assessment of differently capped RNAs with IFIT1. The procedure, which relies on measuring microscale thermophoresis (MST) of fluorescently labelled protein as a function of increasing ligand concentration, is applicable to RNAs of various lengths and sequences without the need for their labelling or affinity tagging. Using the assay, we examined thirteen canonically and non-canonically 5'-capped RNAs, revealing new binding preferences of IFIT1. The 5' terminal m6A mark in the m7G cap had a protective function against IFIT1, which was additive with the effect observed for the 2'-O position (m6Am cap-1). In contrast, an increased affinity for IFIT1 was observed for several non-canonical caps, including trimethylguanosine (TMG), unmethylated (G), and flavin-adenine dinucleotide (FAD) caps. The results suggest new potential cellular targets of IFIT1 and may contribute to broadening the knowledge on the mechanisms of the innate immune response as well as the more effective design of chemically modified mRNAs.

Endophytic Mycorrhiza-mediated Phytogen resistance in plants

Objective: Mycorrhizal fungi are a group of microorganisms that live insithusants, thus, maintaining perceptible associations with their host plants in certain parts of their life cycle. They can be characterized by their capacity to synthesize secondary metabolites and to promote growth and induce plant-disease resistance, therefore, gaining greater biotechnological importance in pest and diseases management for crops of agricultural relevance. The study of these microorganisms has been a widely researched area subject for more than half a century. Design/methodology/approach: Their biology and molecular relationships in plant-microorganism interactions, on the other hand, have only recently begun to gain relevance for understanding the colonization process in recent decades. There has been observed a complexity in the generation of formulations that can guarantee the permanence of fungi outside the host plant. Findings/conclusions: This review article will address topics related to their biology, ecological role, possible negative effects on commercially important animals, and successful cases in Mexico regarding biotechnological products based on these microorganisms.

The Air Transportation System as a Subsystem of Modern Communication Space: Analysis Based on Transfer Entropy Graphs

The processes of information exchange and the movement of material flows form a communication space that reflects the relationship of complex intersystem interactions in various spheres of our life within the framework of the concepts of information-theoretical theory. One of these concepts, reflecting the mutual influence between processes at a qualitative level, is the transfer of entropy. The direction and intensity of these flows reflect the main social and economic processes. As it is known, air transport is one of the most reliable and high-speed modes of transport, influencing the processes of socio-cultural interaction between different regions. This indirectly affects the development of industrial relations, the development of technology and intercultural exchange. New technologies in aviation improve the flight performance of airliners and reduce the costs of transporting passengers. The size and range of modern airliners are increasing, and ticket prices are being optimized. The processes of the liberalization of developing air transportation markets, the emergence of low-cost air carriers, open skies agreements, and the reduction in restrictions on the nomenclature of carriers and routes have led to the growth and diversity of air transport links. This article considers air transport as a complex system that takes into account the interconnectedness of the elements of the transportation system and the influence of some subsystems on others, which are not always obvious. The object of the study was the communication space formed on the basis of air transportation between regions of the world. To assess the dynamic properties of the world communication space, ICAO data for the period of 1970–2021 were used. The subject of the analysis was a time series reflecting the flows of passengers and cargo over the considered time horizon. The entropy transfer algorithm was used as an analysis tool. In the course of the research, the features of dynamic changes in the properties of the communication space were revealed. The analysis showed that the flows of entropy transfer between regions of the world change depending on political, economic, social, and technological factors. Examples of the application of the proposed approach are considered: an analysis of the cognitive model of the air transport flow structure, an analysis of the regional communication space, and an analysis of changes in the global communication field. The results of the analysis can be useful for assessing the development of the communication field of various regions, which will allow us to solve the problems of forming forecasts and effective scenarios for the development of transport flows at different hierarchical levels of economic management.

In - Depth Research on User Profiles in Securities Companies Under the Digital Background

Based on systematically grasping the development, integration, and application of relevant technologies such as the industrial value - chain model in the securities industry, the securitization of real - industry assets and their flow patterns, and regulatory and risk - prevention - and - control models, this paper conducts in - depth research on user profiles centering on the main path of securities business and product innovation. Aiming at the modeling problems of business - behavior - level homomorphism consistency and business - network - isomorphy consistency in business network systems, the concept of business - network profiles is originally proposed. That is, taking the description image of user profiles as an index, equivalent classification analysis of the description image of business - network profiles is carried out. According to the behavior equivalence class and behavior - homomorphism consistency, the user - network associations and interaction relationships are identified, and the user - association - action - and - influence - network profile is established, thereby obtaining more accurate and scientific data analysis and business applications. Finally, from the perspectives of algorithms and modeling, the structural model frameworks of the correlation relationships, interaction relationships, and influence relationships between user profiles and business - network profiles are discussed one by one, and the extended user profiles, business - network profiles, and their application results are presented.

COPS5 regulates osteosarcoma progression by upregulating KHSRP to promote Per2 mRNA decay

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a common bone sarcoma that is often seen in children and adolescents. This study delves into the intricate regulatory network involving COP9 signalosome subunit 5 (COPS5), KH-type splicing regulatory protein (KHSRP), and Period circadian clock 2 (Per2) in the context of osteosarcoma cell malignant phenotype. CCK-8 assay was applied to assess cell proliferation. Wound healing or transwell assay was selected to evaluate cell migration or invasion. Apoptosis was determined employing flow cytometry assay. Co-IP and GST-pull down determined the interaction between COPS5 and KHSRP. The interaction relationship between KHSRP and Per2 mRNA was detected by RNA-pull down and RIP assays. We found that COPS5 knockdown repressed proliferation, migration, and invasion and facilitated apoptosis of OS cells. Knockdown of COPS5 also restrained the tumor growth in the nude mice tumor xenograft model. COPS5 interacted with KHSRP to maintain the protein stability of KHSRP. Furthermore, there was a binding relationship between KHSRP and Per2 mRNA. Besides, COPS5 promoted OS cell tumorigenesis by mediating the decay effect of KHSRP on Per2 mRNA. Collectively, COPS5 promoted the decay of Per2 mRNA via contacting and mediating KHSRP, thereby facilitating OS progression. Our study unveils COPS5 as a key modulator in OS.

Frailty Screening in Primary Care-Based Memory Clinics: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Findings.

We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of frailty screening using handgrip strength with gait speed measures within four primary care-based memory clinics in Ontario. This mixed methods quality improvement initiative examined the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of frailty screening from the perspective of patients (N = 216), care partners (N = 142), and healthcare providers (N = 9). Frailty screening was well-received by patients and care partners and perceived as quick and easy to administer and integrate into assessment processes by healthcare providers at all four memory clinics. The ease of integrating frailty screening into clinic processes was a key factor facilitating implementation; few challenges or suggestions for improvement were identified. All four clinics plan to continue frailty screening, three using the methods adopted in this study. Integrating frailty screening into memory assessments is feasible and acceptable and, given the interactional relationship between frailty and dementia, provides a significant opportunity to improve health outcomes for older adults.

Valuing the spatial structure and influencing factors of urban innovation from the perspective of social networks

ABSTRACT Valuing the spatial structural characteristics and evolution mechanisms of urban innovation networks (UIN) is crucial for promoting regional innovation development. This study constructs the UIN for the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) and examines its spatial structural characteristics and driving factors from a social network perspective. The results indicate that: First, the network relationships within the urban innovation ecosystem in YREB continue to expand, enhancing stability, synergy and connectivity. Second, interaction relationships dominate the network, establishing distinct block functions, with provincial capitals serving as core nodes. Third, YREB can be divided into four blocks: the main inflow block, the main outflow block, the bidirectional spider block and the agent block, each exhibiting unique roles within the network. Fourth, increasing network density and connectedness while reducing hierarchy and enhancing efficiency positively impacts urban innovation. Strengthening node centrality characteristics is beneficial for promoting urban innovation. Lastly, proximity is conducive to the formation of UIN. Digital technology and traffic integration are replacing geographical and institutional factors, becoming key elements in the formation of UIN. Therefore, we propose optimising the spatial structure of UIN and shifting the driving paradigm from geographic and institution proximity to the digital technology and traffic proximity.

MaskDGNets: Masked-attention guided dynamic graph aggregation network for event extraction.

Considering that the traditional deep learning event extraction method ignores the correlation between word features and sequence information, it cannot fully explore the hidden associations between events and events and between events and primary attributes. To solve these problems, we developed a new framework for event extraction called the masked attention-guided dynamic graph aggregation network. On the one hand, to obtain effective word representation and sequence representation, an interaction and complementary relationship are established between word vectors and character vectors. At the same time, a squeeze layer is introduced in the bidirectional independent recurrent unit to model the sentence sequence from both positive and negative directions while retaining the local spatial details to the maximum extent and establishing practical long-term dependencies and rich global context representations. On the other hand, the designed masked attention mechanism can effectively balance the word vector features and sequence semantics and refine these features. The designed dynamic graph aggregation module establishes effective connections between events and events, and between events and essential attributes, strengthens the interactivity and association between them, and realizes feature transfer and aggregation on graph nodes in the neighborhood through dynamic strategies to improve the performance of event extraction. We designed a reconstructed weighted loss function to supervise and adjust each module individually to ensure the optimal feature representation. Finally, the proposed MaskDGNets framework is evaluated on two baseline datasets, DuEE and CCKS2020. It demonstrates its robustness and event extraction performance, with F1 of 81.443% and 87.382%, respectively.

Complexity Evaluation for Urban Intersection Scenarios in Autonomous Driving Tests: Method and Validation

As autonomous driving technology scales up, complex urban intersections pose significant safety challenges. Current testing methods struggle to simulate these complex scenarios at a manageable cost, making simulation testing essential. For effective evaluation, establishing comprehensive and objective complexity metrics is crucial. However, existing complexity evaluation methods often depend on the performance of the primary vehicle and are based on local interaction relationships, which lack a global perspective and objectivity and have yet to be validated by autonomous driving systems. To address this issue, this paper proposes a multidimensional complexity assessment framework that introduces system-level indicators such as vehicle count, interaction density, disorder, and risk. This framework quantifies the complex interactions at intersections from a global perspective, independent of primary vehicle performance. Experimental results demonstrate that the complexity evaluation results are highly consistent with the performance of a high-level autonomous driving system (Apollo). The framework has been successfully applied to test scenario generation on the Apollo platform, achieving twice the scenario generation efficiency of traditional methods, thus showcasing substantial engineering value.

The perspective of ceRNA regulation of circadian rhythm on choroidal neovascularization

Abnormal growth of blood vessels (choroidal neovascularization) can lead to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and eventually cause vision loss due to detachment of the retinal pigmented epithelium. This indicates that choroidal neovascularization is important for the treatment of AMD. The circadian clock in the mammalian retina is responsible for controlling various functions of the retina, enabling it to adjust to changes in light and darkness. Recent studies have revealed a potential connection between the circadian clock and eye diseases, although a cause-and-effect relationship has not been definitively established. C57BL/6J male mice (aged 6 weeks) were randomly divided into two groups (Control group: 9:00–21:00 light period (300 lx); Jet lag group: 8-hour phase advance once every 4 days). A laser-induced CNV model was created after 2 weeks of feeding in a controlled or jet-lagged environment. Then, full transcriptome sequencing was performed. The pathways regulated by differentially expressed mRNAs were identified by GO analysis and GSEA. Further protein networks were constructed with the STRING database and Cytoscape software. WGCNA was used to further explore the co-expression modules of these differential genes and the correlation between these differential genes and phenotypes. ceRNA networks were constructed with miRanda and TargetScan. The pathways associated with the overlapping differentially expressed mRNAs in the ceRNA network were identified, and the hub genes were validated by qPCR. A total of 661 important DEGs, 31 differentially expressed miRNAs, 106 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 87 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified. GO and GSEA showed that the upregulated DEGs were mainly involved in reproductive structure development and reproductive system development. The STRING database and Cytoscape were used to determine the protein interaction relationships of these DEGs. WGCNA divided the expression of these genes into several modules and screened the hub genes of each module separately. Furthermore, a ceRNA network was constructed. GO analysis and GSEA showed that these target DEmRNAs mainly function in wound healing, cell spreading, epiboly involved in wound healing, epiboly, and morphogenesis of an epithelial sheet. Finally, ten key genes were identified, and their expression patterns were confirmed by real-time qPCR. In this study, we investigated the regulatory mechanism of ceRNAs in choroidal neovascularization according to different light-dark cycles in the eyeball.

Network pharmacology and molecular docking to explore the potential molecular mechanism of chlorogenic acid treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a tumor type with a high mortality rate. Chlorogenic acid, abundant in resources and widely utilized in cancer treatments, has seen limited studies regarding its efficacy against OSCC. This paper investigates chlorogenic acid's mechanism in treating OSCC, aiming to guide the development of novel drugs. The study employed network pharmacology, molecular docking, and survival analysis methods. Network pharmacological analysis revealed chlorogenic acid targets 23 OSCC-related proteins, including ESR1, MMP2, MMP9, SRC, MAPK8, MAPK1, CDC42, ERBB2, ATM, and BRAF. Molecular docking simulations indicated that the primary target exhibits significant binding capacity with chlorogenic acid, with MMP9 associated with tumor migration and angiogenesis standing out. Survival analysis demonstrated that the downregulation of most primary targets correlates with improved survival rates in OSCC patients. Enrichment analysis of therapeutic targets highlighted the pivotal role of MAPK-ERK and MAPK-JNK signaling pathways in chlorogenic acid's efficacy against OSCC. This paper predicts chlorogenic acid's potential targets and proposes its molecular mechanism in treating OSCC, offering a theoretical foundation for its application in OSCC treatment. We used traditional Chinese medicine, a disease pharmacology-related information base, and an analysis platform to predict targets. The Cytoscape 3.9.1 and STING databases were used to address common targets for drugs and diseases, establish networks of protein interaction relationships, and screen core targets. Meastro11.5 was used for molecular docking simulation. R4.2.2 was used for survival analysis and joint target enrichment analysis. Network pharmacological analysis identified chlorogenic acid acting on 23 OSCC targets. Molecular docking simulations revealed a strong binding affinity of chlorogenic acid compounds with these targets, particularly MMP9, essential for tumor migration and angiogenesis. Survival analysis indicated that the downregulation of most core targets was correlated with improved OSCC patient survival. Enrichment analysis of therapeutic targets highlighted the critical roles of the MAPK-ERK and MAPK-JNK signaling pathways in the effectiveness of chlorogenic acid against OSCC. This study predicted the potential targets of chlorogenic acid in OSCC treatment and hypothesized its molecular mechanism, offering a theoretical foundation for its use in OSCC therapy.

A novel structural equation modelling-based framework for identifying hydrometeorological multi-factor interaction

Study regionThe Hanjiang River Basin, China. Study focusIn this study, we proposed a new integrated framework based on structural equation models to identify hydrometeorological multi-factor interaction relationship. The spatiotemporal distribution and interaction relationship of hydrological, meteorological, and vegetation indicators in the Hanjiang River Basin were analyzed based on the national long-series monitoring data. New hydrological insights for the regionThe findings reveal that: (1) The rainfall is the maximum in the lower reaches (968.87 mm), and the runoff depth fluctuated the most in the lower reaches (1181.70 mm to 2934.88 mm). (2) Dew point temperature is an important influencing factor of rainfall in the upper and middle reaches, and relative humidity is an important influencing factor of rainfall in the lower reaches. High vegetation cover is an important influencing factor for runoff depth. (3) Rainfall and runoff depth are significantly negatively affected by meteorological characteristics, with effect values ranging from −0.24 to −0.68. However, runoff depth is positively affected by rainfall, relative humidity, vegetation characteristics, and canopy interception, with effect values ranging from 0.02 to 0.58. The size and mode of influence have significant regional differences.

Genome-Wide Identification of Wheat USP Gene Family and Functional Dissection of TaUSP85 Involved in Heat Tolerance

A collection of conserved proteins known as universal stress protein (USP) is present in a wide range of species, including plants, fungi, bacteria, and animals. USPs are named for their ability to respond to a variety of stress conditions, such as heat stroke, osmotic stress, nutrient limitation, and exposure to toxins or antibiotics. While the USP response to different stress conditions in plants has been reported, little is known about the USP family in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In wheat, we identified 88 USP genes distributed across 21 chromosomes classified into four subfamilies. Phylogenetic tree and synteny analysis across multiple species revealed a highly conserved evolution of the USP family between monocots and dicots. Based on comparative analysis of protein domains, gene structure and conserved motifs, TaUSPs showed significant differences among the four subfamilies. Furthermore, expression pattern analysis of TaUSPs showed significant differences among various tissues and under different abiotic stress conditions. We further conducted transformation experiments with the TaUSP85 gene, which significantly enhanced yeast thermotolerance. Silencing of TaUSP85 through VIGS experiments in wheat resulted in significant wilting, decreased chlorophyll content, and increased MDA accumulation compared to control plants. The silenced plant lines had much more ROS accumulation than the control group, as determined by the findings of DAB and NBT staining. The interaction proteins TaUSP1 and TaUSP11 of TaUSP85 were screened by yeast two-hybrid and their interaction relationship was further verified by LCI. Overall, our findings enhance the comprehension of the USP gene family in wheat and provide a valuable resource for further investigation of these genes in wheat and related cereal crops.

Институциональное регулирование глобальной и региональной климатической повестки в условиях деглобализации

The problem of climate change is a global challenge that requires a joint solution at various levels—global, regional, national, and individual. At the same time, modern global and economic processes are characterized by two significant trends: the growth of regionalization and the intensification of deglobalization, which cannot but affect the architecture of the climate agenda. In this article, we review the current state of the multilevel climate agenda and discern the factors of this agenda that affect the activities of multinational enterprises in the context of deglobalization. We conclude that we should expect further fragmentation in the climate regulation system at the global level, which will affect the configuration of global value chains (GVC) of companies. The regionalization of GVCs increases the importance of regional interaction and building relationships between business and government on climate issues to ensure economic competitiveness along the entire value chain from upstream to downstream.

Metadata schema for virtual building models in digital twins: VB schema implemented in GPT-based applications

A virtual building model (VBM) is a virtual entity that represents the physical behavior of a target building mathematically within a digital twin environment. The creation and synchronization of a VBM are achieved by utilizing various interrelated virtual sub-models, including behavior, correction, and distance models. To achieve continuous digital twinning, it is essential to manage the VBM with virtual sub-models. However, these metadata schemas have limitations in describing VBMs representing operational building behaviors within the concept of building digital twins (DTs). Therefore, this study proposes a novel metadata schema, termed the virtual building model metadata schema (VB schema), to represent and manage VBMs in DT-built environments. The VB schema is established according to the mathematical and semantic ontology of the in-situ modeling and calibration approach for constructing and correcting virtual models during building operations, and it is linked to physical entities, data, and applications within DTs. Specifically, it involves: (1) determining classes for operational data and virtual models; (2) establishing relationships for interactions between model and data entities, between model classes, between model and physical entities, and between model and applications; (3) defining properties for each class of models; and (4) extending into the exiting metadata schema of Brick. To demonstrate the proposed VB schema, a virtual model describing supply pressure behaviors in a central heating system was developed and represented using the VB schema for DT-enabled building operations. Additionally, the VB schema was utilized for implementing generative pre-trained transformer (GPT)-based DT applications, which highlights its benefits in enhancing ontology comprehension of DTs in the context of VBMs, improving autonomous problem-solving capabilities in real building systems, and providing better interpretation of application results compared to cases where only the Brick schema was used. The VB schema is expected to enable continuous and autonomous in-situ management of VBMs for intelligent building services within the DT.

Transcriptomic Analysis of THP-1 Cells Exposed by Monosodium Urate Reveals Key Genes Involved in Gout.

Gout is a common inflammatory arthritis, which is mainly caused by the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) in tissues. Transcriptomics was used to explore the pathogenesis and treatment of gout in our work. The objective of the study was to analyze and validate potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers in THP-1 cells that were exposed to MSU. THP-1 cells were exposed to MSU. The inflammatory effect was characterized, and RNA-Seq analysis was then carried out. The differential genes obtained by RNA-Seq were analyzed with gene expression omnibus (GEO) series 160170 (GSE160170) gout-related clinical samples in the GEO database and gout-related genes in the GeneCards database. From the three analysis approaches, the genes with significant differences were verified by the differential genes' transcription levels. The interaction relationship of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) was proposed by ceRNA network analysis. MSU significantly promoted the release of IL-1β and IL-18 in THP-1 cells, which aggravated their inflammatory effect. Through RNA-Seq, 698 differential genes were obtained, including 606 differential mRNA and 92 differential `LncRNA. Cross-analysis of the RNA-Seq differential genes, the GSE160170 differential genes, and the gout-related genes in GeneCards revealed a total of 17 genes coexisting in the tripartite data. Furthermore, seven differential genes-C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL8), C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CXCL2), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), C-C motif chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3), suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), oncostatin M (OSM), and MIR22 host gene (MIR22HG)-were verified as key genes that analyzed the weight of genes in pathways, the enrichment of inflammationrelated pathways, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) nodes combined with the expression of genes in RNA-Seq and GSE160170. It is suggested that MIR22HG may regulate OSM and SOCS3 through microRNA 4271 (miR-4271), OSM, and SOCS3m; CCL3 through microRNA 149-3p (miR-149-3p); and CXCL2 through microRNA 4652-3p (miR-4652-3p). The potential of CXCL8, CXCL2, TNF, CCL3, SOCS3, and OSM as gout biomarkers and MIR22HG as a therapeutic target for gout are proposed, which provide new insights into the mechanisms of gout biomarkers and therapeutic methods.

호서지역 비파형동검문화의 전개와 교류

The bronze artifacts of Mandolin-shaped Bronze Daggers Culture in Hoseo(湖西) region show a continuous distribution area from the Geumgang to the Mangyeonggang. One or two bronze artifacts are usually excavated from the dwelling site and tombs. This difference in excavated feature is reflected the style or space-time. For example, the stone coffin tomb with ditch or simple pit tombs are natives in the early period, and the wooden coffin tombs with stone-filled are known as foreigns in the late period. There are many weapons such as bronze daggers and bronze spearheads in bronze artifacts. The bronze daggers have various style or type that connect Liaodong, Liaoshi, and Northwest region. The bronze spearheads is identified as a universal short type and a be naturalized long type. In addition, the bronze axes of the northeastern style and the bronze mirror of the northwest style are confirmed. The Mandolin-shaped Bronze Daggers Culture in the Hoseo region underwent four phase of change. During the 1st phase, only narrow bronze daggers are identified alone, and an interaction (distribution) relationship that connects to ‘Liaodong-Northwest-Southwest’ is identified. In the 2nd and 3rd phase, it is replaced by a wide bronze daggers, and bronze spearheads and bronze axes are added. The interaction relationship between ‘Northwest-Northeast’ increases, and bronze weapons is also used as a ritual. During the 4th phase, transitional models such as the straight-edged bronze daggers and dagger pommel fitting, bronze mirror, and half-moon-shaped jade appear. This shows that the interaction relationship between ‘Liaodong-Northwest-(Central)-Southwest-’ was further strengthened during the settlement of the Jeongjiawazhi assemblage.

A Gravitational-like Relationship of Dispersion Interactions is Exhibited by 40 Pairs of Molecules and Noble Gas Atoms.

We present computational results of many-body dispersion (MBD) interactions for 40 pairs of molecular and atomic species: hydrocarbons, silanes, corresponding fluorinated derivatives, pairs which have multiple H---H contacts between the molecules, as well as pairs having π-π interactions, and pairs of noble gases. The calculations reveal that the MBD stabilization energy (EDISP,MBD) obeys a global relationship, which is gravitational-like. It is proportional to the product of the masses of the two molecules (M1M2) and inversely proportional to the corresponding distances between the molecular centers-of-mass (RCOM-COM) or the H---H distances of the atoms mediating the interactions of the two molecules (RH-H). This relationship reflects the interactions of instantaneous dipoles, which are formed by the ensemble of bonds/atoms in the interacting molecules. Using the D4-corrected dispersion energy (EDISP,D4), which accounts for three-body interactions, we find that the EDISP,MBD and EDISP,D4 data sets are strongly correlated. Based on valence-bond modeling, the dispersion interactions occur primarily due to the increased contributions of the oscillating-ionic VB structures which maintain favorable electrostatic interactions; the [Sub─C+:H-+H:C-─Sub] and [Sub─C:-+H -H:C+─Sub] structures; Sub symbolizes general residues. This augmented contribution is complemented by simultaneously diminished-weights of the destabilizing pair of structures, [Sub─C+:H--H:C+─Sub] and [Sub─:C- H++H:C-─Sub]. The local charges are propagated to the entire ensemble of bonds/atoms by partially charging the Sub residues, thus bringing about the "gravitational-like" dependence of dispersion.

Literary metamorphosis: a corpus-assisted approach to characterisation in The Rouge of the North and “The Golden Cangue”

Based on her Chinese story “Jinsuo Ji”, the renowned bilingual writer Eileen Chang produced two English versions, i.e. The Rouge of the North and “The Golden Cangue”. The basic difference between the two English versions lies in that The Rouge of the North is more of a rewriting, while “The Golden Cangue” is a direct translation. An interesting issue emerges as to how characters are constructed in those two inter-related texts. This study, taking direct speech as an indicator of character portrayal, adopts a corpus-assisted approach to characterisation in the two texts. The study elaborates on the functions fulfilled by direct speech in constructing characters and carries out a comparative analysis of characterisation in the two texts. The results show that, due to distinctive uses of direct speech, there are subtle yet definite differences between The Rouge of the North and “The Golden Cangue” in shaping characters’ verbal prominence, establishing characters’ verbal interactional relationships, and presenting the protagonists’ linguistic features. Devoted to the issue of characterisation in literary metamorphosis, the study demonstrates the multiple functions performed by direct speech in character portrayal and has some implications for improving corpus methods to examine the complexities of characterisation.

Relationship between Student-Teachers’ Academic Interaction and Academic Self-Esteem in Public Secondary Schools in Nakuru County, Kenya

The learners’ academic self-esteem and academic interaction shape the learning environment of students. The purpose of this study was to examine students’ academic interaction and academic self-esteem relationships in public secondary schools in Nakuru County, Kenya. Correlational research design and both quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used in the study. The population of the study comprised 23,309 that is 11,938 boys and 11,371 girls form three students from 294 public secondary schools in Nakuru County. A total of 29 public secondary schools and 378 form three students were selected using stratified random sampling. The study used purposive sampling to sample 29 class teachers from the selected public secondary schools in Nakuru County. The total sample size for this study was therefore 407 respondents. The study used closed-ended questionnaires to collect data from students and interview schedule to collect data from class teachers. To ensure content validity of the research instruments, the researcher developed questionnaires and an interview schedule in line with the objectives of the study in consultation with experts on counseling and educational foundations. To test the reliability of the questionnaire, a pilot study was done on one secondary school that was not part of the actual study. Cronbach’s Alpha test of internal consistency was established whereby the items had reliability coefficients of 0.871 (for the student-teacher academic interactions tool) and 0.873 (for student academic self-esteem tool) which were considered acceptable. Quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 while qualitative data was analyzed using NVivo version 12. The study established that there was a statistically significant relationship between student-teachers’ academic interaction and academic self-esteem in public secondary schools in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study recommends Kenyan teachers training institutions to advance teaching methods that seeks to improve student-teachers’ academic interaction and academic self-esteem for better academic achievement.