There was a notable gradation of response dependent on CpG density in the gDMR: out of three testis genes containing weak CGIs (Tssk2, Csnka2ip, Dnmt3l), only one (Dnmt3l) showed significant (P=0.04) derepression (Fig. 3D,E); this effect on Dnmt3l is consistent with previous reports by ourselves and others (Hu et al., 2008; O'Doherty et al., 2011).
A respondent "agrees" or "disagrees" with statements using a 7-point gradation (1 7) of responses.
These included pre-defined triggers (increased activity, long waiting times) for activation, usually by site or bed managers, and gradations of response based often on traffic light (red, amber, green) analogies.
So while the 'immune self' governs the practice and theoretical orientation of most practicing immunologists, the neat boundaries of 'self' and 'other' may more profitably be regarded as broken and replaced by a spectrum of functions based on a gradation of immune responses that do not neatly fit a dichotomous division.
This diversity is the result of deletions or insertions within the first intron of the gene, and is associated with a gradation of vernalization responses from strict winter to spring types.
Furthermore, early antigen discrimination is all-or-none (Das et al., 2009), with limited dynamic ranges in both antigen input sensing and response output (Altan-Bonnet and Germain, 2005; Tkach and Altan-Bonnet, 2012; Huang et al., 2013), but long-term signaling can widen the gradation of functional responses.
Temporal ordering and gradation of the response indicate socio-economic disadvantage may play a causal role.
The respondents were required to answer if they agree or disagree to the statements made on these issues and the gradation of the response was provided in a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5 (1-strongly disagree, 2-disagree, 3-not sure, 4-agree and 5-strongly agree) (Appendix).
We noted a gradation of the VE response to unloaded cycling in the four groups (controls: +5.6 ± 0.6 LBTPS·min−1; COPDs: +6 ± 0.5; normoxemic overweight subjects: +7 ± 0.4; hypoxemic overweight subjects: +8 ± 0.6).
Indeed, the gradations of the immune responses ranging from rest to various conditions of primed or pre-activated conditions to full blown responses offer different characterizations of the immune system in which the self is enfolded in obscurity.
