Comparison of T-cell Receptor Diversity of people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis versus controls

Objective: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME; sometimes referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) is a chronic disease without laboratory test, detailed aetiological understanding or effective therapy. Its symptoms are diverse, but it is distinguished from other fatiguing illnesses by the experience of post-exertional malaise, the worsening of symptoms even after minor physical or mental exertion. Its frequent onset after infection suggests autoimmune involvement or that it arises from abnormal T-cell activation. Results: To test this hypothesis, we sequenced the genomic loci of and T-cell receptors (TCR) from 40 human blood samples from each of four groups: severely affected people with ME; mildly or moderately affected people with ME; people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, as disease controls; and, healthy controls. Seeking to automatically classify these individuals’ samples by their TCR repertoires, we applied P-SVM, a machine learning method. However, despite working well on a simulated data set, this approach did not allow statistically significant partitioning of samples into the four subgroups. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that blood samples from people with ME frequently contain altered T-cell receptor diversity

Coastal Lagoons and Climate Change: Ecological and Social Ramifications in the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coast Ecosystems

Lagoons are highly productive coastal features that provide a range of natural services that society values. Their setting within the coastal landscape leaves them especially vulnerable to profound physical, ecological, and associated societal disturbance from global climate change. Expected shifts in physical and ecological characteristics range from changes in flushing regime, freshwater inputs, and water chemistry to complete inundation and loss and the concomitant loss of natural and human communities. Therefore, managing coastal lagoons in the context of global climate change is critical. Although management approaches will vary depending on local conditions and cultural norms, all management scenarios will need to be nimble and to make full use of the spectrum of values through which society views these unique ecosystems. We propose that this spectrum includes pragmatic, scholarly, aesthetic, and tacit categories of value. Pragmatic values such as fishery or tourism revenue are most easily quantified and are therefore more likely to be considered in management strategies. In contrast, tacit values such as a sense of place are more difficult to quantify and therefore more likely to be left out of explicit management justifications. However, tacit values are the most influential to stakeholder involvement because they both derive from and shape individual experiences and beliefs. Tacit values underpin all categories of social values that we describe and can be expected to have a strong influence over human behavior. The articulation and inclusion of the full spectrum of values, especially tacit values, will facilitate and support nimble adaptive management of coastal lagoon ecosystems in the context of global climate change