SDT: A Low-cost and Topology-reconfigurable Testbed for Network Research

Network experiments are essential to network-related scientific research (e.g., congestion control, QoS, network topology design, and traffic engineering). However, (re)configuring various topologies on a real testbed is expensive, time-consuming, and error-prone. In this paper, we propose \emph{Software Defined Topology Testbed (SDT)}, a method for constructing a user-defined network topology using a few commodity switches. SDT is low-cost, deployment-friendly, and reconfigurable, which can run multiple sets of experiments under different topologies by simply using different topology configuration files at the controller we designed. We implement a prototype of SDT and conduct numerous experiments. Evaluations show that SDT only introduces at most 2\% extra overhead than full testbeds on multi-hop latency and is far more efficient than software simulators (reducing the evaluation time by up to 2899x). SDT is more cost-effective and scalable than existing Topology Projection (TP) solutions. Further experiments show that SDT can support various network research experiments at a low cost on topics including but not limited to topology design, congestion control, and traffic engineering.Comment: This paper will be published in IEEE CLUSTER 2023. Preview version onl

Generation of a recombinant rabies Flury LEP virus carrying an additional G gene creates an improved seed virus for inactivated vaccine production

The rabies Flury Low Egg Passage virus (LEP) has been widely used as a seed virus to generate inactive vaccine. Here, we established a reverse genetic system for LEP and generated a recombinant LEP virus (rLEP-G) that carries two identical G genes. This recombinant virus showed similar properties to those of LEP with respect to in vitro growth, neurotropism index, and virulence in mice. rLEP-G produced 4.3-fold more G protein than did LEP in BHK-21 cells. The inactivated vaccine generated from rLEP-G induced significantly higher virus neutralization titers in mice and dogs than those produced in response to LEP-derived vaccine. Our results suggest that rLEP-G is an improved seed virus candidate for inactivated rabies virus vaccine manufacture

Gas sensing performance of In2O3 nanostructures: A mini review

Effective detection of toxic and hazardous gases is crucial for ensuring human safety, and high-performance metal oxide-based gas sensors play an important role in achieving this goal. In2O3 is a widely used n-type metal oxide in gas sensors, and various In2O3 nanostructures have been synthesized for detecting small gas molecules. In this review, we provide a brief summary of current research on In2O3-based gas sensors. We discuss methods for synthesizing In2O3 nanostructures with various morphologies, and mainly review the sensing behaviors of these structures in order to better understand their potential in gas sensors. Additionally, the sensing mechanism of In2O3 nanostructures is discussed. Our review further indicates that In2O3-based nanomaterials hold great promise for assembling high-performance gas sensors

Occurrence of Perfluoroalkyl Compounds in Surface Waters from the North Pacific to the Arctic Ocean

Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration; National Natural Science Foundation of China [40776003]Perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) were determined in 22 surface water samples (39-76 degrees N) and three sea ice core and snow samples (77-87 degrees N) collected from North Pacific to the Arctic Ocean during the fourth Chinese Arctic Expedition in 2010. Geographically, the average concentration of Sigma PFC in surface water samples were 560 +/- 170 pg L-1 for the Northwest Pacific Ocean, 500 +/- 170 pg L-1 for the Arctic Ocean, and 340 +/- 130 pg L-1 for the Bering Sea, respectively. The perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) were the dominant PFC class in the water samples, however, the spatial pattern of PFCs varied. The C-5, C-7 and C-8 PFCAs (i.e., perfluoropentanoate (PFPA), perfluoroheptanoate (PFHpA), and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA)) were the dominant PFCs in the Northwest Pacific Ocean while in the Bering Sea the PFPA dominated. The changing in the pattern and concentrations in Pacific Ocean indicate that the PFCs in surface water were influenced by sources from the East-Asian (such as Japan and China) and North American coast, and dilution effect during their transport to the Arctic. The presence of PFCs in the snow and ice core samples indicates an atmospheric deposition of PFCs in the Arctic. The elevated PFC concentration in the Arctic Ocean shows that the ice melting had an impact on the PFC levels and distribution. In addition, the C-4 and C-5 PFCAs (i.e., perfluorobutanoate (PFBA), PFPA) became the dominant PFCs in the Arctic Ocean indicating that PFBA is a marker for sea ice melting as the source of exposure

Spatial distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds in coastal waters from the East to South China Sea

The spatial distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) were investigated in coastal waters collected onboard research vessel Snow Dragon from the East to South China Sea in 2010. All samples were prepared by solid-phase extraction and analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography/negative electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/(-)ESI-MS/MS). Concentrations of 9 PFCs, including C4 and C8 (PFBS, PFOS) perfluoroalkyl sulfonate (PFSAs), C 5-C9 and C13 (PFPA, PFHxA, PFHpA, PFOA, PFNA, PFTriDA) perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs), and N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamide (EtFOSA) were quantified. The 危PFC concentrations ranged from 133 pg/L to 3320 pg/L, with PFOA (37.5-1541 pg/L), PFBS (23.0-941 pg/L) and PFHpA (0-422 pg/L) as dominant compounds. Concentrations of PFCs were greater in coastal waters along Shanghai, Ningbo, Taizhou, Xiamen and along coastal cities of the Guangdong province compared to less populated areas along the east Chinese coast. Additionally, the comparison with other seawater PFC measurements showed lower levels in this study. 漏 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

A multicentre single arm phase 2 trial of neoadjuvant pyrotinib and letrozole plus dalpiciclib for triple-positive breast cancer.

peer reviewedCurrent therapies for HER2-positive breast cancer have limited efficacy in patients with triple-positive breast cancer (TPBC). We conduct a multi-center single-arm phase 2 trial to test the efficacy and safety of an oral neoadjuvant therapy with pyrotinib, letrozole and dalpiciclib (a CDK4/6 inhibitor) in patients with treatment-naïve, stage II-III TPBC with a Karnofsky score of ≥70 (NCT04486911). The primary endpoint is the proportion of patients with pathological complete response (pCR) in the breast and axilla. The secondary endpoints include residual cancer burden (RCB)-0 or RCB-I, objective response rate (ORR), breast pCR (bpCR), safety and changes in molecular targets (Ki67) from baseline to surgery. Following 5 cycles of 4-week treatment, the results meet the primary endpoint with a pCR rate of 30.4% (24 of 79; 95% confidence interval (CI), 21.3-41.3). RCB-0/I is 55.7% (95% CI, 44.7-66.1). ORR is 87.4%, (95% CI, 78.1-93.2) and bpCR is 35.4% (95% CI, 25.8-46.5). The mean Ki67 expression reduces from 40.4% at baseline to 17.9% (P < 0.001) at time of surgery. The most frequent grade 3 or 4 adverse events are neutropenia, leukopenia, and diarrhoea. There is no serious adverse event- or treatment-related death. This fully oral, chemotherapy-free, triplet combined therapy has the potential to be an alternative neoadjuvant regimen for patients with TPBC

Comprehensive Mapping of Common Immunodominant Epitopes in the West Nile Virus Nonstructural Protein 1 Recognized by Avian Antibody Responses

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that primarily infects birds but occasionally infects humans and horses. Certain species of birds, including crows, house sparrows, geese, blue jays and ravens, are considered highly susceptible hosts to WNV. The nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of WNV can elicit protective immune responses, including NS1-reactive antibodies, during infection of animals. The antigenicity of NS1 suggests that NS1-reactive antibodies could provide a basis for serological diagnostic reagents. To further define serological reagents for diagnostic use, the antigenic sites in NS1 that are targeted by host immune responses need to be identified and the potential diagnostic value of individual antigenic sites also needs to be defined. The present study describes comprehensive mapping of common immunodominant linear B-cell epitopes in the WNV NS1 using avian WNV NS1 antisera. We screened antisera from chickens, ducks and geese immunized with purified NS1 for reactivity against 35 partially overlapping peptides covering the entire WNV NS1. This study identified twelve, nine and six peptide epitopes recognized by chicken, duck and goose antibody responses, respectively. Three epitopes (NS1-3, 14 and 24) were recognized by antibodies elicited by immunization in all three avian species tested. We also found that NS1-3 and 24 were WNV-specific epitopes, whereas the NS1-14 epitope was conserved among the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) serocomplex viruses based on the reactivity of avian WNV NS1 antisera against polypeptides derived from the NS1 sequences of viruses of the JEV serocomplex. Further analysis showed that the three common polypeptide epitopes were not recognized by antibodies in Avian Influenza Virus (AIV), Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV), Duck Plague Virus (DPV) and Goose Parvovirus (GPV) antisera. The knowledge and reagents generated in this study have potential applications in differential diagnostic approaches and subunit vaccines development for WNV and other viruses of the JEV serocomplex