Path diversity improves the identification of influential spreaders

Identifying influential spreaders in complex networks is a crucial problem which relates to wide applications. Many methods based on the global information such as $k$-shell and PageRank have been applied to rank spreaders. However, most of related previous works overwhelmingly focus on the number of paths for propagation, while whether the paths are diverse enough is usually overlooked. Generally, the spreading ability of a node might not be strong if its propagation depends on one or two paths while the other paths are dead ends. In this Letter, we introduced the concept of path diversity and find that it can largely improve the ranking accuracy. We further propose a local method combining the information of path number and path diversity to identify influential nodes in complex networks. This method is shown to outperform many well-known methods in both undirected and directed networks. Moreover, the efficiency of our method makes it possible to be applied to very large systems.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Probing nuclear symmetry energy at high densities using pion, kaon, eta and photon productions in heavy-ion collisions

The high-density behavior of nuclear symmetry energy is among the most uncertain properties of dense neutron-rich matter. Its accurate determination has significant ramifications in understanding not only the reaction dynamics of heavy-ion reactions especially those induced by radioactive beams but also many interesting phenomena in astrophysics, such as the explosion mechanism of supernova and the properties of neutron stars. The heavy-ion physics community has devoted much effort during the last few years to constrain the high-density symmetry using various probes. In particular, the pion-/pion+ ratio has been most extensively studied both theoretically and experimentally. All models have consistently predicted qualitatively that the pion-/pion+ ratio is a sensitive probe of the high-density symmetry energy especially with beam energies near the pion production threshold. However, the predicted values of the pion-/pion+ ratio are still quite model dependent mostly because of the complexity of modeling pion production and reabsorption dynamics in heavy-ion collisions, leading to currently still controversial conclusions regarding the high-density behavior of nuclear symmetry energy from comparing various model calculations with available experimental data. As more pion-/pion+ data become available and a deeper understanding about the pion dynamics in heavy-ion reactions is obtained, more penetrating probes, such as the kaon+/kaon0 ratio, eta meson and high energy photons are also being investigated or planned at several facilities. Here, we review some of our recent contributions to the community effort of constraining the high-density behavior of nuclear symmetry energy in heavy-ion collisions. In addition, the status of some worldwide experiments for studying the high-density symmetry energy, including the HIRFL-CSR external target experiment (CEE) are briefly introduced.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, Contribution to the Topical Issue on Nuclear Symmetry Energy in EPJA Special Volum

(1S,4S,5S,8R)-8-Nitro­oxy-2,6-dioxa­bicyclo­[3.3.0]octan-4-yl 3,4,5-triacetoxy­benzoate

In the title compound, C19H19NO13, one of the two fused furan­ose rings adopts an envelope conformation whereas the other displays a twisted conformation. The crystal structure is stabilized by inter­molecular C—H⋯π inter­actions between a methine H atom and the triacetoxy­phenyl ring of an adjacent mol­ecule, and by weak non-classical inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

Identifying the Validity and Reliability of a Self-Report Motivation Instrument for Health-Promoting Lifestyles Among Emerging Adults

Objective: Studies on the effectiveness of health-promoting programs across educational contexts need a new tool for measuring health motivation. This study aims to develop a new health motivation questionnaire, namely the College Students’ Health Motivation Questionnaire (CSHM-Q), for college students.Design: An original item pool of the CSHM-Q was developed based on a systematic synthesis and review of related instruments and the content analysis of focus group interviews (N = 93). The instrument was then validated using a sample of 205 college students.Setting: Interviews and survey were conducted at three universities in China.Methods: This study explores the content validity, construct validity, and reliability of a self-report motivation instrument based on the framework of Self-Determination Theory.Results: A pilot study showed satisfactory content validity of the motivation constructs and produced 40 items for the CSHM-Q. Results of exploratory factor analysis and parallel analysis further substantiated a three-factor structure of the CSHM-Q. The finalized three-component CSHM-Q has 16 items.Conclusion: Given adequate psychometric properties, the CSHM-Q is a promising measurement tool of health motivation for practical and research purposes

Sulforaphane induces adipocyte browning and promotes glucose and lipid utilization

Scope: Obesity is closely related to the imbalance of white adipose tissue storing excess calories, and brown adipose tissue dissipating energy to produce heat in mammals. Recent studies revealed that acquisition of brown characteristics by white adipocytes, termed “browning,” may positively contribute to cellular bioenergetics and metabolism homeostasis. The goal was to investigate the putative effects of natural antioxidant sulforaphane (1-isothiocyanate-4-methyl-sulfonyl butane; SFN) on browning of white adipocytes. Methods and Results: 3T3-L1 mature white adipocytes were treated with SFN for 48 h, and then the mitochondrial content, function, and energy utilization were assessed. SFN was found to induce 3T3-L1 adipocytes browning based on the increased mitochondrial content and activity of respiratory chain enzymes, whereas the mechanism involved the upregulation of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2/ sirtuin1/ peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha signaling. SFN enhanced uncoupling protein 1 expression, a marker for brown adipocyte, leading to the decrease in cellular ATP. SFN also enhanced glucose uptake and oxidative utilization, lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Conclusion: SFN-induced browning of white adipocytes enhanced the utilization of cellular fuel, and the application of SFN is a promising strategy to combat obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorder