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Dupilumab is a fully human anti-interleukin-4 receptor α monoclonal antibody that blocks both interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 signaling. We assessed its efficacy and safety in patients with uncontrolled asthma.We randomly assigned 1902 patients 12 years of age or older with uncontrolled asthma in a 2:2:1:1 ratio to receive add-on subcutaneous dupilumab at a dose of 200 or 300 mg every 2 weeks or matched-volume placebos for 52 weeks. The primary end points were the annualized rate of severe asthma exacerbations and the absolute change from baseline to week 12 in the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) before bronchodilator use in the overall trial population. Secondary end points included the exacerbation rate and FEV1 in patients with a blood eosinophil count of 300 or more per cubic millimeter. Asthma control and dupilumab safety were also assessed.The annualized rate of severe asthma exacerbations was 0.46 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39 to 0.53) among patients assigned to 200 mg of dupilumab every 2 weeks and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.72 to 1.05) among those assigned to a matched placebo, for a 47.7% lower rate with dupilumab than with placebo (P

The tank volume and tilt angle of a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) are key parameters for a heat pipe PV/T system, and the two parameters are optimized in this paper. Hot water and electric power generation are also calculated. A simulation model of the heat pipe PV/T system was established using the TRNSYS, and the numerical results were validated by experimental data. The results show that hot water and electric power generation initially decrease and then increase with the volume of the circulating tank. The highest integrated efficiency reaches 67.5% while the volume of the circulating tank is 80 L. The orientation and tilt angle of the heat pipe PV/T collector were optimized based on the simulation model. The mean annual efficiency of the PV/T system is about 4.37%, and the heat collection is about 2328.16 MJ/year.

Chiral device breaking time-reversal symmetry can control the propagation direction of the light which is great significant for the information processing on chip. Here we report a new chiral structure based on silicon nitride (SiN x ) microring resonator embedded with a scatterer in the evanescent region the waveguide. The simulation results show that the asymmetry backscattering of the whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) can be induced by a single scatterer and thus directional transmission observed. In addition, the dimensions and relative position of the scatterer have been optimized to obtain the strongest chirality effect, resulting in an extinction ratio of up to 10 dB. Our results open pathways towards many chiral integrated nanophotonic devices.

We propose a compensative method for phase distortion of phase-only Spatial Light Modulator (SLM), which is based on Zernike polynomials aberration theory. We obtain the Zernike polynomial coefficient by observing the coupling efficiency of Gauss beam coupling into single mode fiber. The degree of phase distortion can be measured by root-mean-square (RMS) method, and the value of RMS is about 0.29λ@633nm in the experiment Two simple experiments verify that compensate mask can improve holographic imaging quality and reduce quality factor M2 from 3.59 to 1.09.

The kurtosis-based indexes are usually used to identify the optimal resonant frequency band. However, kurtosis can only describe the strength of transient impulses, which cannot differentiate impulse noises and repetitive transient impulses cyclically generated in bearing vibration signals. As a result, it may lead to inaccurate results in identifying resonant frequency bands, in demodulating fault features and hence in fault diagnosis. In view of those drawbacks, this manuscript redefines the correlated kurtosis based on kurtosis and auto-correlative function, puts forward an improved correlated kurtosis based on squared envelope spectrum of bearing vibration signals. Meanwhile, this manuscript proposes an optimal resonant band demodulation method, which can adaptively determine the optimal resonant frequency band and accurately demodulate transient fault features of rolling bearings, by combining the complex Morlet wavelet filter and the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. Analysis of both simulation data and experimental data reveal that the improved correlated kurtosis can effectively remedy the drawbacks of kurtosis-based indexes and the proposed optimal resonant band demodulation is more accurate in identifying the optimal central frequencies and bandwidth of resonant bands. Improved fault diagnosis results in experiment verified the validity and advantage of the proposed method over the traditional kurtosis-based indexes.

We design a SiNx microring resonator with a single Mie scatterer. Both of the simulated and the experimental results confirm that we can obtain the asymmetric backscattering without any mode splitting by the single Mie scatterer. The extinction ratio is close to 3.55 dB at the wavelength of 1553.1 nm in the experiment.

Through the use of an informative prior, Bayesian methodologies could potentially borrow the strength of historical information and become more and more popular for their applications to clinical trials. Nonetheless, even with tremendous effort, the reconciliation of the formulation of the hypotheses and the calculation of type I error between a Bayesian analysis and traditional frequentist analysis is still not very clear. In this research, we apply an inferential prior, null prior and design prior to the Bayesian data analysis, type I error control and sample size calculation. As demonstrated theoretically, the type I error control denies any borrowing of favorable prior information. Thus, the use of the calibrated critical value obtained through simulation for the commensurate or power prior for a Bayesian analysis has the effect of eliminating the borrowing of historical information. The validity of a Bayesian analysis with the borrowing of historical data should rest on the a priori assumption of consistency of data from the historical and current studies. Just in case the consistency assumption is not totally true, dynamic borrowing through the commensurate or power prior can regulate the level of borrowing based on the degree of consistency in the data. An example along with simulations are used to illustrate the applications and compare the characteristics of the methods.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are a class of chemicals common in the environment. Certain PAH are carcinogenic, although the degree to which genetic variation influences susceptibility to carcinogenic PAH remains unclear. Also unknown is the influence of genetic variation on the procarcinogenic effect of in utero exposures to PAH. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is a well-studied PAH that is classified as a probable human carcinogen. Within our New York City-based cohort, we explored interactions between maternal exposure to airborne PAH during pregnancy and maternal and newborn haplotypes (and in one case, a single-nucleotide polymorphism) in key B[a]P metabolism genes on B[a]P-DNA adducts in paired cord blood samples. The study subjects included non-smoking African-American (n = 132) and Dominican (n = 235) women with available data on maternal PAH exposure, paired cord adducts and genetic data who resided in the Washington Heights, Central Harlem and South Bronx neighborhoods of New York City. We selected seven maternal and newborn genes related to B[a]P metabolism, detoxification and repair for our analyses: CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP1B1, GSTM3, GSTT2, NQO1 and XRCC1. We found significant interactions between maternal PAH exposure and haplotype on cord B[a]P-DNA adducts in the following genes: maternal CYP1B1, XRCC1 and GSTM3, and newborn CYP1A2 and XRCC1 in African-Americans; and maternal XRCC1 and newborn NQO1 in Dominicans. These novel findings highlight differences in maternal and newborn genetic contributions to B[a]P-DNA adduct formation, as well as ethnic differences in gene-environment interactions, and have the potential to identify at-risk subpopulations who are susceptible to the carcinogenic potential of B[a]P.

Kurtograms have been verified to be an efficient tool in bearing fault detection and diagnosis because of their superiority in extracting transient features. However, the short-time Fourier Transform is insufficient in time-frequency analysis and kurtosis is deficient in detecting cyclic transients. Those factors weaken the performance of the original kurtogram in extracting weak fault features. Correlated Kurtosis (CK) is then designed, as a more effective solution, in detecting cyclic transients. Redundant Second Generation Wavelet Packet Transform (RSGWPT) is deemed to be effective in capturing more detailed local time-frequency description of the signal, and restricting the frequency aliasing components of the analysis results. The authors in this manuscript, combining the CK with the RSGWPT, propose an improved kurtogram to extract weak fault features from bearing vibration signals. The analysis of simulation signals and real application cases demonstrate that the proposed method is relatively more accurate and effective in extracting weak fault features.

Introduction: In a pivotal phase 2b trial (NCT01854047), adult patients (pts) with uncontrolled persistent asthma using ICS+LABA were randomized to 24 weeks (wks) of add-on therapy with dupilumab (DPL; an anti-IL-4Rα antibody), 200 or 300 mg every 2 weeks (q2w) or q4w, or placebo (PBO). DPL significantly reduced the rate of severe exacerbation when administered q2w. Most common adverse events (DPL vs PBO) were upper respiratory tract infections (12−15% vs 18%) and injection site erythema (8−22% vs 8%). We aimed to evaluate whether DPL, a dual antagonist of both IL-4 and IL-13, reduced severe exacerbations irrespective of baseline levels of serum periostin (PN; a biomarker of IL-13 activity). Methods: PN was assayed by ELISA (Shino-Test, Tokyo). Annualized rates of severe exacerbation in the 24-wk treatment period are given for “PN-high” and “PN-low” subgroups (≥ and Results: PN levels decreased on DPL vs PBO. Both DPL q2w regimens significantly reduced the rates of severe exacerbation in both PN-high and PN-low subgroups vs PBO. On PBO, the rate of exacerbation was 2-fold higher in PN-high vs PN-low pts. Conclusions : Dupilumab treatment, 200 and 300 mg q2w, reduces serum PN and the risk of severe exacerbation in both the more-frequently exacerbating PN-high and less-frequently exacerbating PN-low asthma pts.

Dupilumab, a fully human anti-interleukin-4 receptor α monoclonal antibody, inhibits interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 signalling, key drivers of type-2-mediated inflammation. Adults with uncontrolled persistent asthma who are receiving medium-to-high-dose inhaled corticosteroids plus a long-acting β2 agonist require additional treatment options as add-on therapy. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of dupilumab as add-on therapy in patients with uncontrolled persistent asthma on medium-to-high-dose inhaled corticosteroids plus a long-acting β2 agonist, irrespective of baseline eosinophil count.We did this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, pivotal phase 2b clinical trial at 174 study sites across 16 countries or regions. Adults (aged ≥18 years) with an asthma diagnosis for 12 months or more based on the Global Initiative for Asthma 2009 Guidelines receiving treatment with medium-to-high-dose inhaled corticosteroids plus a long-acting β2 agonist were eligible for participation. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1:1) to receive subcutaneous dupilumab 200 mg or 300 mg every 2 weeks or every 4 weeks, or placebo, over a 24-week period. The primary endpoint was change from baseline at week 12 in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 in L) in patients with baseline blood eosinophil counts of at least 300 eosinophils per μL assessed in the intention-to-treat population. Safety outcomes were assessed in all patients that received at least one dose or part of a dose of study drug. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01854047, and with the EU Clinical Trials Register, EudraCT number 2013-000856-16.769 patients (158 in the placebo group and 611 in the dupilumab groups) received at least one dose of study drug. In the subgroup with at least 300 eosinophils per μL, the greatest increases (200 mg every 2 weeks, p=0·0008; 300 mg every 2 weeks, p=0·0063) in FEV1 compared with placebo were observed at week 12 with doses every 2 weeks in the 300 mg group (mean change 0·39 L [SE 0·05]; mean difference 0·21 [95% CI 0·06-0·36; p=0·0063]) and in the 200 mg group (mean change 0·43 L [SE 0·05]; mean difference 0·26 [0·11-0·40; p=0·0008]) compared with placebo (0·18 L [SE 0·05]). Similar significant increases were observed in the overall population and in the fewer than 300 eosinophils per μL subgroup (overall population: 200 mg every 2 weeks, p0·0001; 300 mg every 2 weeks, p0·0001;300 eosinophils per μL: 200 mg every 2 weeks, p=0·0034; 300 mg every 2 weeks, p=0·0086), and were maintained to week 24. Likewise, dupilumab every 2 weeks produced the greatest reductions in annualised rates of exacerbation in the overall population (70-70·5%), the subgroup with at least 300 eosinophils per μL (71·2-80·7%), and the subgroup with fewer than 300 eosinophils per μL (59·9-67·6%). The most common adverse events with dupilumab compared with placebo were upper respiratory tract infections (33-41% vs 35%) and injection-site reactions (13-26% vs 13%).Dupilumab increased lung function and reduced severe exacerbations in patients with uncontrolled persistent asthma irrespective of baseline eosinophil count and had a favourable safety profile, and hence in addition to inhaled corticosteroids plus long-acting β2-agonist therapy could improve the lives of patients with uncontrolled persistent asthma compared with standard therapy alone.Sanofi-Genzyme and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

We investigate the modulational instability of two incoherently coupled beams in a photovoltaic photorefractive crystal with a uniform background illumination. Our results show, as a precursor to soliton formation, the strength of modulational instability can be adjusted and controlled by the intensity ratio of two signal beams. Especially, the characteristics of modulational instability are totally distinct for different ratios of Glass coefficients of the signal to background beams.

We investigate the formation of high-order polarization vortex spatial solitons. The high-order polarization vortex solitons have novel polarization states which are different from fundamental polarization vortex solitons and have rotational symmetry only in intensity. It is proved that the polarization vortex solitons cannot carry vortex phase. The existence domain and dynamical characteristic of these high-order polarization vortex solitons in Bessel optical lattices are discussed in detail.

Background: Airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are widespread urban air pollutants from fossil fuel burning and other combustion sources. We previously reported that a broad spectrum of combustion-related DNA adducts in cord blood was associated with attention problems at 6–7 years of age in the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) longitudinal cohort study. Objectives: We evaluated the relationship between behavioral problems and two different measures of prenatal exposure—both specific to PAH—in the same cohort. Methods: Children of nonsmoking African-American and Dominican women in New York City (NYC) were followed from in utero to 6–7 years. Prenatal PAH exposure was estimated by personal air monitoring of the mothers during pregnancy as well as by the measurement of DNA adducts specific to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a representative PAH, in maternal and cord blood. At 6–7 years of age, child behavior was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) (n = 253). Generalized linear models were used to test the association between prenatal PAH exposure and behavioral outcomes. Results: In multivariate analyses, high prenatal PAH exposure, whether characterized by personal air monitoring (greater than the median of 2.27 ng/m3) or maternal and cord adducts (detectable or higher), was positively associated with symptoms of Anxious/Depressed and Attention Problems (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: These results provide additional evidence that environmental levels of PAH encountered in NYC air can adversely affect child behavior.

Small heteroaromatic rings are valuable monomers in drug discovery that can enable rapid access to novel and desirable chemical space. Installation of a synthetic handle on a heteroaromatic core may be difficult if steric and electronic factors are not in alignment with the desired transformation. Described are practical routes for the construction of 5-bromo-6-methyl imidazopyrazine (1) as well as 5-bromo and 5-chloro-6-methyl imidazopyridines (2a and 2b), which were developed using electron density surface maps encoded with ionization potential to guide synthetic strategy.

Background: Airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are widespread urban pollutants that can bind to DNA to form PAH–DNA adducts. Prenatal PAH exposure measured by personal monitoring has been linked to cognitive deficits in childhood in a prospective study conducted by the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health. Objectives: We measured PAH–DNA and other bulky aromatic adducts in umbilical cord white blood cells using the 32P-postlabeling assay to determine the association between this molecular dosimeter and behavioral/attention problems in childhood. Methods: Children born to nonsmoking African-American and Dominican women residing in New York City (NYC) were followed from in utero to 7–8 years of age. At two time points before 8 years of age (mean ages, 4.8 years and 7 years), child behavior was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). To estimate and test the association between adducts and behavioral outcomes, both CBCL continuous raw scores and dichotomized T-scores were analyzed. Results: Higher cord adducts were associated with higher symptom scores of Anxious/Depressed at 4.8 years and Attention Problems at 4.8 and 7 years, and with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition–oriented Anxiety Problems at 4.8 years. Conclusions: These results suggest that PAH exposure, measured by DNA adducts, may adversely affect child behavior, potentially affecting school performance.

We investigate the formation of polarization vortex spatial optical solitons in optical lattice induced by a non-diffracting Bessel beam. The properties of these solitons in zeroth-order and first-order Bessel lattices with focusing and defocusing Kerr nonlinearity are discussed. It is found that these solitons have some analogies with phase vortex solitons carrying single positive or negative topological charge in these lattices. Besides, these polarization vortex solitons have complicated dynamical characteristic and can be stabilized in some parameter region.

In a microcosm system where Elodea nuttallii and Bisphenol A (BPA) coexist, with the help of Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS), the dynamics of phytodegradation of BPA with concentration 1–20 mg/L and the products of phytodegradation was studied. Antioxidation activity and phospholipids fatty acids were measured to evaluate the effects of BPA on E.nuttallii. The results showed that the half life period of phytodegradation of BPA was less than 15 days. 2-(4-hydroxypheny)-2-(3,4-o-dihydroxypheny) propane and 2, 2-bis(4-hydroxypheny) propyl alcohol were identified to be as two possible products of BPA. The peroxidase (POD) activity of E.nuttallii decreased by 50% to 100% compared with that controlled at the end of the experiment. The fatty acid methanol esters (FAMEs) changed obviously too. It showed that oxidation stress and membrane damage would be the two effecting aspects of BPA on E.nuttallii.

A theory is presented to show that gray and dark solitons can exist in bulk polymers with two-photon isomerization (TPI) nonlinearity. The soliton FWHM, intensity and phase profiles are discussed in detail. In addition, the stability properties of these TPI solitons are also investigated by employing the stability criterion based on the renormalized momentum.

A theory is presented to show that dark and grey spatial solitons can be formed spontaneously in azobenzene-containing polymers (ACPs) with photoisomerization nonlinearity by simultaneously considering the angle hole burning (AHB) effect and the photoinduced molecular reorientation (PMR) effect. It shows that compared to that of the AHB effect, the contribution of the PMR to the formation of solitons is evident and cannot be ignored. It is found that the dependence of the width of this kind of solitons on the intensity of the light beam is similar to that of photorefractive solitons.

Introduction: Dupilumab, a fully human IL-4R-α monoclonal antibody, inhibits IL-4 and IL-13, key drivers of Type 2-mediated inflammation. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dupilumab dose regimens for uncontrolled asthma. Methods: Multinational, double-blind, pivotal phase 2b study (NCT01854047). Adults with uncontrolled asthma despite medium-to-high dose ICS/LABA were randomized to add on therapy with dupilumab 200 or 300 mg every 2 weeks (q2w) or every 4 weeks (q4w), or placebo (PBO), for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was change from baseline to Week 12 in FEV 1 (L) in pts with high eosinophil (Eos) count (HEos; ≥300/µL). Secondary endpoints included change from baseline in FEV 1 (%), annualized severe exacerbation rate, and safety. Data were reported for HEos, low Eos (LEos; Results: Of 776 randomized pts, 325 (42%) had HEos. Dupilumab q2w regimens showed significant improvements in FEV 1 at Week 12, and reduced annualized severe exacerbation rates in HEos, LEos and overall groups vs PBO. The q4w regimens were less efficacious vs q2w regimens. The most common adverse event was injection-site reaction (13–26% vs 13% PBO). Conclusions: Dupilumab q2w plus ICS/LABA therapy improves FEV 1 and reduces severe exacerbations in pts with uncontrolled asthma, irrespective of Eos count (≥300/µL or

We study laser-induced evolution of exchange coupling in FeNi/L10-FePt film using pump-probe polar Kerr spectroscopy. Ultrafast coupling-strengthening with significant reduction of hard coercivity is observed. The mechanism is discussed.

To study the effect of different branch configuration on transmission characteristic in-home low-voltage (LV) communication power line communication (PLC) channel, the influences of branch length, number of branch and tap, and branch terminal impedance on the performance of PLC are investigated. The two type power line network structures of the one-tap with multi-branch (OTMB) and the multi-tap with multi-branch (MTMB) are studied. The transmission characteristics of the PLC channel are simulated by varying the length and terminal impedance of the branch for two configurations. Simulation results show that the length and terminal impedance of the branch have significant influence on the amplitude and phase response of the transfer function. The position and number of notches and crests in the amplitude responses are affected by different branch types and the configurations of branch length and branch terminal impedance. The models developed in this paper can easily handle an arbitrary topology of power line channel and provide accurate calculation for the channel responses of the all kinds of channel branch structures in indoor LV power line network

Background Exposure to traffic-related air pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), can induce asthma. However, the effects of early repeated PAH exposure over time on different asthma phenotypes have not been examined. Objective To assess associations between repeated PAH exposure, measured from prenatal personal and residential indoor monitors in children's homes, and asthma in an inner-city cohort. Methods Prenatal exposure was assessed by personal air monitoring during 48 hours and exposure at 5 to 6 years of age by 2-week residential monitoring in the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health cohort. PAH was dichotomized into pyrene (representative semivolatile PAH) and the sum of 8 nonvolatile PAHs. High exposure to each was defined as measures above the median at both repeated time points. Asthma and wheeze were determined by validated questionnaires at ages 5 to 6 years. Children with specific IgE levels greater than 0.35 IU/mL to any of 5 indoor allergens were considered seroatopic. Results Among all 354 children, repeated high exposure to pyrene was associated with asthma (odds ratio [OR], 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-3.20). Among 242 nonatopic children, but not those sensitized to indoor allergens (n = 87) or with elevated total IgE levels (n = 171), high pyrene levels were associated positively with asthma (OR, 2.89; 95% CI, 1.77-5.69), asthma medication use (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.13-4.59), and emergency department visits for asthma (OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.20-4.91). Associations between the levels of the 8 nonvolatile PAHs and asthma were not observed, even when stratifying by seroatopy. Conclusion Nonatopic children may be more susceptible to the respiratory consequences of early pyrene exposures.

Background. Airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are widespread urban pollutants from fossil fuel burning and other combustion sources that can bind to DNA to form PAH-DNA adducts. Prena...

The traditional linear Granger causality test has been widely used to examine the linear causality among several time series in bivariate settings as well as multivariate settings. Hiemstra and Jones (1994) develop a nonlinear Granger causality test in a bivariate setting to investigate the nonlinear causality between stock prices and trading volume. In this paper, we first discuss linear causality tests in multivariate settings and thereafter develop a nonlinear causality test in multivariate settings. A Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to demonstrate the superiority of our proposed multivariate test over its bivariate counterpart. In addition, we illustrate the applicability of our proposed test to analyze the relationships among different Chinese stock market indices.

The traditional linear Granger test has been widely used to examine the linear causality among several time series in bivariate settings as well as multivariate settings. Hiemstra and Jones (1994) develop a nonlinear Granger causality test in a bivariate setting to investigate the nonlinear causality between stock prices and trading volume. In this paper, we first discuss linear causality tests in multivariate settings and thereafter develop a non-linear causality test in multivariate settings.

We investigate the formation of polarized vortex solitons in nonlocal media with Bessel optical lattices and show the various dynamics of these solitons. Particularly, the stable high-order polarized vortex solitons, which are not found in local media with Bessel optical lattices, are found in nonlocal media. It is found that the nonlocal nonlinearity plays an important role in the stability of these solitons which is similar to that of phase vortex solitons. However, we show that the dynamics of these polarized vortex solitons are quite different from the phase vortex solitons.

Spin is an intrinsic property of the photon. A method for using an externally applied dc electric field to manipulate the transfer of spin angular momentum of light in an optically active medium is presented. To discuss this, we first develop a wave coupling theory of the mutual action of natural optical activity and the linear electro-optic effect. Besides being used for analyzing the electrically controlled transfer of spin angular momentum of light, the theory can also be used to describe the propagation of light traveling along an arbitrary direction in any optically active medium with an external dc electric field along an arbitrary direction.

Background: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of chemicals common in the environment. Major sources of PAHs include fossil fuel combustion and cigarette smoking. Certain PAHs are carcinogenic, though the degree to which genetic variation influences susceptibility to PAH exposure remains unclear. Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is a well-studied PAH that is classified as a probable human carcinogen. Here, we evaluated haplotype frequency in genes related to PAH metabolism and detoxification, and explored the interactions between PAH exposure and haplotype on BaP-DNA adducts, an established cancer risk marker, in umbilical cord white blood cells (WBCs). Methods: Maternal and umbilical cord blood were collected at delivery from participants in a longitudinal cohort study of African American (AA) and Dominican (D) mothers and newborns in New York City. WBC DNA was isolated from cord blood, and genetic polymorphisms and BaP-DNA cord adducts were then measured in 516 mothers and 323 newborns. Maternal PAH exposure was measured during pregnancy with a personal air exposure monitor. A total of 18 genes, selected for biologic relevance, were analyzed for SNPs. For this study, a subset of 7 maternal and newborn genes related to PAH metabolism, detoxification and repair were selected for haplotype analyses: CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP1B1, GSTM, GSTT, NQO1 and XRCC. Haplotype × PAH interactions on logarithmic-transformed BaP-DNA adduct levels were explored. Results: Notable differences in haplotype frequency were observed between AAs and Ds and between mothers and newborns. We observed a number of significant interactions between high PAH exposure and polymorphic haplotypes in both mothers and newborns on BaP-DNA adducts in cord blood. To give one example, the haplotype CACGCG of CYP1B1 in AA mothers had a frequency of 10.4%, versus 0.3% in D mothers (p Discussion: It is biologically plausible that an individual's ability to metabolically activate and detoxify BaP and repair DNA damage plays a role in susceptibility to DNA adduct formation following prenatal PAH exposure. Ultimately, this susceptibility could correlate with future risk of cancer development. We have identified haplotype patterns that differ between ethnic groups and also between mothers and newborns. We also observed several haplotype × PAH exposure interactions on cord BaP-DNA adducts, supporting the hypothesis that genetic variability can contribute to susceptibility and potential cancer risk from prenatal PAH exposures. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2753. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2753

L8 Prenatal and Postnatal Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Asthma: Effect of Atopy at Ages 5-6 yrs in an Urban Birth Cohort K. Jung, S. Hsu, K. Moors, K. Bernabe, B. Yan, S. N. Chillrud, R. Whyatt, M. Perzanowski, L. Hoepner, I. Goldstein, B. Zhang, D. Camann, P. L. Kinney, F. P. Perera, R. L. Miller; Columbia University, New York, NY, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY, Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, Division of Pulmonary, New York, NY. RATIONALE: Research suggests that exposure to traffic-related air pollutants may induce or trigger asthma. However, the combined effects of prenatal and early postnatal individual exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on respiratory outcomes have not been examined. We hypothesized that exposure to PAHs, and pyrene specifically, would be differentially associated with asthma among atopic and non-atopic children. METHODS: Prenatal PAH exposure was assessed by personal air monitoring over 48-hrs and postnatal PAH exposure by two-week residential indoor monitoring between ages 5/6 in the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health birth cohort. PAH was dichotomized into +8PAHnonvolatile (MW 228-278) and pyrene. High PAH exposure group was defined as high-prenatal (upper 50%) and high-postnatal (upper 50%) exposure and compared to the rest of groups (Low-low, low-high, and high-low). Asthma was defined by validated questionnaires. Children with any indoor allergen specific IgE >_ 0.35 IU/ml were considered atopic. RESULTS: Among non-atopic children (n 5 152), a positive association between high pyrene levels and current asthma (OR 3.01, p5 0.017, 95% CI[1.2-7.5]) and emergency room visits (OR 2.50, p5 0.038, 95%CI[1.055.9]) was obtained in logistic regression analyses. Also among non-atopic children, an inverse association was found between high +8PAHnonvolatile exposure and current asthma (OR 0.31, p 5 0.033, 95%CI[0.11-0.91]) and wheeze (OR 0.24, p5 0.005, 95%CI[0.09-0.67]). Among atopic children (n 5 62), no significant associations were found between pyrene or +8PAHnonvolatile exposure and asthma-related symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Among non-atopic children, high prenatal and postnatal exposure to pyrene was associated with greater odds of asthma-related symptoms, whereas combined prenatal and postnatal S8PAHnonvolatile exposure was associated with lower odds of asthma-related symptoms.

We theoretically investigate the electro-optic coupling in an optical superlattice of linear chirped-periodically poled lithium niobate. It is found that the electro-optic coupling in such optical superlattice can work in a wide wavelength range. Some of examples, with bandwidths of 20, 40, 80, 120 nm, are demonstrated. The way to determine the electric field for perfect conversion between o- and e-ray and the method using apodized crystals of tanh profile to reduce the ripples are shown. As one of its applications, one kind of broadband Solc-type bandpass filter in optical communication range is proposed.

We study theoretically the formation of lattice solitons via the photovoltaic–photorefractive effect in a one-dimensional (1D) optically induced periodic lattice. Three classes of (1+1)-D lattice solitons, including fundamental lattice solitons, high-order lattice solitons and out-of phase dipole lattice solitons, are obtained by numerical integration of the theoretical model. The necessary conditions for experimental observation of such solitons are given. The linear stability of these solitons are also discussed in detail. We find that all of these solitons are linearly stable in their existence region. For high-order photovoltaic lattice solitons and dipole photovoltaic lattice solitons, the stabilities are different from those in homogeneous media.