| 1. |
- Arora, Abishek, et al.
(författare)
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Screening autism-associated environmental factors in differentiating human neural progenitors with fractional factorial design-based transcriptomics
- 2023
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research continues to identify genetic variation, environmental exposures, and their mixtures underlying different diseases and conditions. There is a need for screening methods to understand the molecular outcomes of such factors. Here, we investigate a highly efficient and multiplexable, fractional factorial experimental design (FFED) to study six environmental factors (lead, valproic acid, bisphenol A, ethanol, fluoxetine hydrochloride and zinc deficiency) and four human induced pluripotent stem cell line derived differentiating human neural progenitors. We showcase the FFED coupled with RNA-sequencing to identify the effects of low-grade exposures to these environmental factors and analyse the results in the context of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We performed this after 5-day exposures on differentiating human neural progenitors accompanied by a layered analytical approach and detected several convergent and divergent, gene and pathway level responses. We revealed significant upregulation of pathways related to synaptic function and lipid metabolism following lead and fluoxetine exposure, respectively. Moreover, fluoxetine exposure elevated several fatty acids when validated using mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Our study demonstrates that the FFED can be used for multiplexed transcriptomic analyses to detect relevant pathway-level changes in human neural development caused by low-grade environmental risk factors. Future studies will require multiple cell lines with different genetic backgrounds for characterising the effects of environmental exposures in ASD.
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| 2. |
- Arora, Aman, et al.
(författare)
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Optimization of state-of-the-art fuzzy-metaheuristic ANFIS-based machine learning models for flood susceptibility prediction mapping in the Middle Ganga Plain, India
- 2021
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 750
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study is an attempt to quantitatively test and compare novel advanced-machine learning algorithms in terms of their performance in achieving the goal of predicting flood susceptible areas in a low altitudinal range, sub-tropical floodplain environmental setting, like that prevailing in the Middle Ganga Plain (MGP), India. This part of the Ganga floodplain region, which under the influence of undergoing active tectonic regime related subsidence, is the hotbed of annual flood disaster. This makes the region one of the best natural laboratories to test the flood susceptibility models for establishing a universalization of such models in low relief highly flood prone areas. Based on highly sophisticated flood inventory archived for this region, and 12 flood conditioning factors viz. annual rainfall, soil type, stream density, distance from stream, distance from road, Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), altitude, slope aspect, slope, curvature, land use/land cover, and geomorphology, an advanced novel hybrid model Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), and three metaheuristic models-based ensembles with ANFIS namely ANFIS-GA (Genetic Algorithm), ANFIS-DE (Differential Evolution), and ANFIS-PSO (Particle Swarm Optimization), have been applied for zonation of the flood susceptible areas. The flood inventory dataset, prepared by collected flood samples, were apportioned into 70:30 classes to prepare training and validation datasets. One independent validation method, the Area-Under Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUROC) Curve, and other 11 cut-off-dependent model evaluation metrices have helped to conclude that the ANIFS-GA has outperformed other three models with highest success rate AUC = 0.922 and prediction rate AUC = 0.924. The accuracy was also found to be highest for ANFIS-GA during training (0.886) & validation (0.883). Better performance of ANIFS-GA than the individual models as well as some ensemble models suggests and warrants further study in this topoclimatic environment using other classes of susceptibility models. This will further help establishing a benchmark model with capability of highest accuracy and sensitivity performance in the similar topographic and climatic setting taking assumption of the quality of input parameters as constant.
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| 3. |
- Arora-Jonsson, Seema, et al.
(författare)
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Just Transitions: Gender and Power in India’s Climate Politics
- 2023
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Bok (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This book turns critical feminist scrutiny on national climate policies in India and examines what transition might really mean for marginalized groups in the country. A vision of “just transitions” is increasingly being used by activists and groups to ensure that pathways towards sustainable futures are equitable and inclusive. Exploring this concept, this volume provides a feminist study of what it would take to ensure just transitions in India where gender, in relation to its interesting dimensions of power, is at the centre of analysis. With case studies on climate mitigation and adaptation from different parts of India, the book brings together academics, practitioners and policymakers who provide commentary on sectors including agriculture, forestry and renewables. Overall, the book has relevance far beyond India’s borders, as India’s attempt to deal with its diverse population makes it a key litmus test for countries seeking to transition against a backdrop of inequality both in the Global North and South. This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate policy, gender studies, sustainable development and development studies more broadly.
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| 4. |
- Arora-Jonsson, Seema, et al.
(författare)
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Voices from the field: Working for a just climate in India
- 2023
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Ingår i: Just Transitions: Gender and Power in India’s Climate Politics. - 9781000969580 ; , s. 74-92
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this chapter, Seema Arora-Jonsson discusses the question of just transitions with a cross section of people working for a better climate in India: a former civil servant and climate negotiator who has long worked with climate issues, a practitioner/activist working on just transitions in an NGO, an activist with a long history in the women’s grassroots movements, a gender activist who has worked extensively with climate change at the international level as well as a networker who maintains a platform for corporations for climate finance. We discuss the context in which transitions are taking place, go on to current policy approaches and its gendered aspects and the structural challenges and barriers of policy approaches to a just transition. In the overarching gloom, we also discuss the rays of hope, and we end with what we believe is needed to take the world into a sustainable and climate-resilient place.
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| 5. |
- Arora, Manish, et al.
(författare)
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An exploration of shared genetic risk factors between periodontal disease and cancers : a prospective co-twin study
- 2010
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Ingår i: American Journal of Epidemiology. - Cary, USA : Oxford University Press. - 0002-9262 .- 1476-6256. ; 171:2, s. 253-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biologic mechanisms underlying associations of periodontal disease with cancers remain unknown. The authors propose that both conditions share common genetic risk factors. They analyzed associations between baseline periodontal disease, measured by questionnaire-recorded tooth mobility, and incident cancers, identified by linkage with national registries, between 1963 and 2004 in 15,333 Swedish twins. The authors used co-twin analyses to control for familial factors and undertook analyses restricted to monozygotic twins to further control for confounding by genetic factors. They observed 4,361 cancer cases over 548,913 person-years. After adjustment for covariates, baseline periodontal disease was associated with increased risk of several cancers ranging from 15% for total cancer (proportional hazard ratio (HR) = 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01, 1.32) to 120% for corpus uterine cancer (HR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.16, 4.18). Periodontal disease was also associated with increased risk of colorectal (HR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.13, 2.33), pancreatic (HR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.75), and prostate (HR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.07) cancers. In co-twin analyses, dizygotic twins with baseline periodontal disease showed a 50% increase in total cancer risk (HR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.17), but in monozygotic twins this association was markedly attenuated (HR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.63, 1.81). Similar patterns emerged for digestive tract cancers, suggesting that shared genetic risk factors may partially explain associations between periodontal disease and cancers.
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| 6. |
- Austin, Christine, et al.
(författare)
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Elemental Dynamics in Hair Accurately Predict Future Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis : An International Multi-Center Study
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Medicine. - : MDPI. - 2077-0383. ; 11:23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition diagnosed in approximately 2% of children. Reliance on the emergence of clinically observable behavioral patterns only delays the mean age of diagnosis to approximately 4 years. However, neural pathways critical to language and social functions develop during infancy, and current diagnostic protocols miss the age when therapy would be most effective. We developed non-invasive ASD biomarkers using mass spectrometry analyses of elemental metabolism in single hair strands, coupled with machine learning. We undertook a national prospective study in Japan, where hair samples were collected at 1 month and clinical diagnosis was undertaken at 4 years. Next, we analyzed a national sample of Swedish twins and, in our third study, participants from a specialist ASD center in the US. In a blinded analysis, a predictive algorithm detected ASD risk as early as 1 month with 96.4% sensitivity, 75.4% specificity, and 81.4% accuracy (n = 486; 175 cases). These findings emphasize that the dynamics in elemental metabolism are systemically dysregulated in autism, and these signatures can be detected and leveraged in hair samples to predict the emergence of ASD as early as 1 month of age.
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| 7. |
- Curtin, Paul, et al.
(författare)
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Associations between Elemental Metabolic Dynamics and Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity Are Altered in Autism.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of clinical medicine. - : MDPI. - 2077-0383. ; 12:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition associated with atypical social communication, cognitive, and sensory faculties. Recent advances in exposure biology suggest that biomarkers of elemental uptake and metabolism measured in hair samples can yield an effective signal predictive of autism diagnosis. Here, we investigated if elemental biomarkers in hair were associated with functional connectivity in regions of the default mode network (DMN) previously linked to autism. In a study sample which included twin pairs with concordant and discordant diagnoses for autism, our analysis of hair samples and neuroimaging data supported two general findings. First, independent of autism diagnosis, we found a broad pattern of association between elemental biomarkers and functional connectivity in the DMN, which primarily involved dynamics in zinc metabolism. Second, we found that associations between the DMN and elemental biomarkers, particularly involving phosphorus, calcium, manganese, and magnesium, differed significantly in autistic participants from control participants. In sum, these findings suggest that functional dynamics in elemental metabolism relate broadly to persistent patterns of functional connectivity in the DMN, and that these associations are altered in the emergence of autism.
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| 8. |
- Dumitriu, Dani, et al.
(författare)
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Deciduous tooth biomarkers reveal atypical fetal inflammatory regulation in autism spectrum disorder.
- 2023
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Ingår i: iScience. - : Cell Press. - 2589-0042. ; 26:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Atypical regulation of inflammation has been proposed in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, measuring the temporal profile of fetal inflammation associated with future ASD diagnosis has not been possible. Here, we present a method to generate approximately daily profiles of prenatal and early childhood inflammation as measured by developmentally archived C-reactive protein (CRP) in incremental layers of deciduous tooth dentin. In our discovery population, a group of Swedish twins, we found heightened inflammation in the third trimester in children with future ASD diagnosis relative to controls (n = 66; 14 ASD cases; critical window: -90 to -50 days before birth). In our replication study, in the US, we observed a similar increase in CRP in ASD cases during the third trimester (n = 47; 23 ASD cases; -128 to -21 days before birth). Our results indicate that the third trimester is a critical period of atypical fetal inflammatory regulation in ASD.
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| 9. |
- Purohit, Sonal, et al.
(författare)
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Airbnb Experiences : Travelers' Purchase Behavior and Word-of-Mouth
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Travel Research. - : Sage Publications. - 0047-2875 .- 1552-6763. ; 62:7, s. 1569-1587
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This research examines travelers purchase behavior of "Airbnb experiences" by developing a model based on the stimulus organism response theory. Motivation, conceptualized as hedonic and utilitarian, is proposed to influence attitudes toward "Airbnb experiences." The model is tested using data collected from two separate empirical studies on Indian domestic travelers. Empirical findings from both studies demonstrate a significant influence of perceived authenticity, perceived enjoyment, and service quality on travelers' attitudes toward "Airbnb experiences." The results from the two studies also converge with respect to the influence of attitudes on purchase intention and word-of-mouth. Both studies suggest a moderating effect of trend affinity on the relationship between attitudes and word-of-mouth. The research presents scholars with a theoretically robust model with the motivational attributes that positively impacts on travelers' attitudes toward "Airbnb experiences" and the latter's influence on purchase intention and word-of-mouth. We discuss the practical implications and limitations of the research.
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| 10. |
- Saad, Ayman, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of T Cell Dose on Outcome of T Cell-Replete HLA-Matched Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation
- 2019
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Ingår i: Biology of blood and marrow transplantation. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. - 1083-8791 .- 1523-6536. ; 25:9, s. 1875-1883
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Data on whether the T cell dose of allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) products influences transplantation outcomes are conflicting. Using the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database, we identified 2736 adult patients who underwent first allogeneic PBSC transplantation for acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome between 2008 and 2014 using an HLA-matched sibling donor (MSD) or an 8/8-matched unrelated donor (MUD). We excluded ex vivo and in vivo T cell-depleted transplantations. Correlative analysis was performed between CD3(+) T cell dose and the risk of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), relapse, nonrelapse mortality (NRM), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). Using maximum likelihood estimation, we identified CD3(+) T cell dose cutoff that separated the risk of acute GVHD (aGVHD) grade II-IV in both the MSD and MUD groups. A CD3(+) T cell dose cutoff of 14 x 10(7) cells/kg identified MSD/low CD3(+) (n = 223) and MSD/high CD3(+) (n = 1214), and a dose of 15 x 107 cells/kg identified MUD/low (n = 197) and MUD/high CD3(+) (n = 1102). On univariate analysis, the MSD/high CD3(+) group had a higher cumulative incidence of day +100 aGVHD grade II-IV compared with the MSD/low CD3(+) group (33% versus 25%; P=.009). There were no differences between the 2 groups in engraftment rate, risk of aGVHD grade III-IV or chronic GVHD (cGVHD), NRM, relapse, DFS, or OS. The MUD/high CD3(+) group had a higher cumulative incidence of day +100 aGVHD grade II-IV compared with the MUD/low CD3(+) group (49% versus 41%; P=.04). There were no differences between the 2 groups in engraftment rate, risk of severe aGVHD or cGVHD, NRM, relapse, DFS, or OS. Multivariate analysis of the MSD and MUD groups failed to show an association between CD3(+) T cell dose and the risk of either aGVHD grade II-IV (P=.10 and .07, respectively) or cGVHD (P = .80 and .30, respectively). Subanalysis of CD4(+) T cells, CD8(+) T cells, and CD4+/CD8+ ratio failed to identify cutoff values predictive of transplantation outcomes; however, using the log-rank test, the sample size was suboptimal for identifying a difference at this cutoff cell dose. In this registry study, the CD3(+) T cell dose of PBSC products did not influence the risk of aGVHD or cGVHD or other transplantation outcomes when using an MSD or an 8/8-matched MUD. Subset analyses of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell doses were not possible given our small sample size. (C) 2019 American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc.
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