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Biomedical subjects

A C Taylor

Publications and source records attributed to A C Taylor.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

An association between ADH protein levels and polymorphic nucleotide variation in the Adh gene of Drosophila melanogaster.

Southern analysis of the Adh region of 212 Drosophila melanogaster lines collected from the Tahbilk winery revealed linkage disequilibrium between a 37-bp insertion [designated delta 2 by Kreitman (1983)] and the fast electrophoretic variant of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH-F). Among these lines 34% contained the insert and encoded ADH-F, 33.5% encoded ADH-F and did not have the insert, and 32.5% encoded the slow electrophoretic variant of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH-S). Strong linkage association between this insert and ADH-F is evident worldwide. Twenty-nine of the second chromosome lines were characterized for ADH protein quantity by using radial immunodiffusion. ADH quantity was estimated in both larvae and adult males raised in the presence and absence of alcohol supplement to each of two different food media. Analyses of variance indicated higher levels of ADH protein in larvae from lines with the insert (all ADH-F), compared with those without (both ADH-F and ADH-S), independent of either dietary alcohol or media type. No such difference in ADH quantity between insert- and noninsert-containing ADH-F lines was detected in adults, although the expected higher levels occurred in ADH-F lines compared with ADH-S lines. Given the high levels of linkage disequilibrium in the Adh region, these data suggest that either polymorphic nucleotide-site variants positively associated with delta 2 on the second chromosome or delta 2 itself increases larval levels of ADH protein.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1991

Conservation genetics of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). II. Limited variability in minisatellite DNA sequences.

We have examined variability in TaqI and EcoRI restriction fragment sizes of DNA from the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) using six HVR (hypervariable region) probes which reveal complex, individual-specific restriction patterns in humans and other species. Frequency of band-sharing among unrelated koalas was extremely high. This result is likely to be a consequence of the history of near-extinction and artificial recolonization of the populations we have studied, rather than a general marsupial or koala-wide phenomenon.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Whither the professions?

I must confess to having been a little surprised at being asked to give The Dental School Founders' and Benefactors' Lecture this year. It is manifest to all that I am not a founder of the School and as chairman of the Health Authority I have not always been perceived to be a benefactor. Nevertheless I accepted your Dean's invitation and I hope my status may improve. There has been some uncertainty in relation to my title 'Whither the professions?' as to whether it expresses a question or an exhortation. It was certainly intended to be a question.

Dentistry↗
PubMed1986

A serological survey of scrub, tick, and endemic typhus in Sabah, East Malaysia.

A seroepidemiological survey of 837 people and 383 febrile patients was performed in rural areas of Sabah. We determined that the rickettsial diseases scrub typhus and endemic typhus were uncommon causes of febrile illness, as was tick typhus, except in forest dwelling peoples. The rate of occurrence of SFGR specific antibody was 16.5% among 412 forest dwellers, indicating that tick typhus may be a frequent cause of illness in this population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Oxygen consumption by Palaemon elegans (Rathke) in response to temperature change: a determinant of distribution.

The distribution of the intertidal rock pool prawn Palaemon elegans Rathke, on a rocky shore of the Isle of Cumbrae in west Scotland, was investigated. Prawns of all sizes were abundant in the mid- to high-shore pools throughout the summer until September when the largest individuals began to dissappear from the shore. Small and large P. elegans were found to be distributed on the shore in different ways. The small prawns found on the shore during the winter exhibited a much altered behaviour. In the laboratory, the effect of temperature change on oxygen consumption was assessed as was the role of temperature acclimation in determining the rate of oxygen consumption. Oxygen consumption calculated as a weight specific rate (Mo2) could be negatively correlated with body weight. This relationship between body weight and oxygen consumption was different in prawns acclimated to 10 and 23 degrees C and is considered to be an acclimatory response. The acute response, of prawns acclimated to a given temperature, to changes in temperature was similar in different sized prawns. After an acclimatory period of between 1 and 2 weeks small prawns exhibited positive acclimation of oxygen consumption whereas the larger prawns appeared to be unable to acclimate. This variable size dependent, response is discussed as a determinant of distribution and behaviour.

Acclimatization↗
PubMed1981

A universal computer and interface system for the disabled (UNICAID).

A prototype text handling and computing system using microprocessor technology has been developed for the severely handicapped user. The input uses a serial 'suck-puff' code (TWC code version DR2). In addition to the usual video display and full editing and printout facilities of a word processor, the unit acts as a terminal for other computers and can also function as a stand-alone microcomputer using commercial software. The 'bus' structure allows simple expansion to incorporate additional functions, and a remote control link is used for the input. The prototype is currently being evaluated by a tetraplegic student.

Communication Devices for People with Disabilities↗
PubMed1976

The cardiac responses to shell opening and closure in the bivalve Arctica islandica (L.).

Shell closure in Arctica islandica is followed by an exponential decrease in the oxygen tension of the mantle cavity water and is accompanied by an initial increase in heart rate which is followed at lower oxygen tensions by a bradycardia. Prior to shell opening there is a slight increase in heart rate before any movement of the shell valves can be detected. However, once the shell opens and pumping activity recommences there is a rapid increase in heart rate, often to levels above normal. Perfusion of the mantle cavity with water of high and low oxygen tension resulted in the cardiac responses normally associated with shell opening and closure. Recordings of the PO2 of the blood in the ventricle, made simultaneously with cardiac recordings, showed that the changes in heart rate were recorded only after the PO2 of the blood had changed. These experiments suggest that changes in the PO2 of the mantle cavity water may be primarily responsible for the cardiac responses to shell closure in Arctica.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

The respiratory responses of Carcinus maenas to declining oxygen tension.

The degree of respiratory independence shown by Carcinus under conditions of declining oxygen tension is dependent on the animal's level of activity. Inactive Carcinus are capable of maintaining respiratory independence down to a Po2 of 60-80 mmHg. This is achieved primarily by an increase in ventilation volume such that the amount of oxygen made available at the respiratory surfaces remains constant over a wide range of oxygen tension. The Po2 at which this can no longer be maintained corresponds closely to the Po2 at which respiratory independence is lost. Under normoxic conditions the Po2 of the post- and prebranchial blood was 97 and 18 mmHg respectively. At the high oxygen tensions prevailing in the postbranchial blood the respiratory pigment is fully saturated. Under conditions of declining oxygen tension the heart rate remains more or less constant until the Po2 reaches 60-80 mmHg, the onset of bradycardia coinciding with the loss of saturation of the haemocyanin. Although cardiac output falls during hypoxia, the capacity rate ratio remains approximately constant, which enables the effectiveness of oxygen uptake by the blood to remain at a high level.

Animals↗
PubMed1966

Microtubules in the microspikes and cortical cytoplasm of isolated cells.

In thin sections through microspikes extending from the surface of isolated cells, a core has been seen which may contain microtubular elements. The differences between these and microtubules seen elsewhere in the cytoplasm are attributed to their rapid growth and exposed location which make them especially vulnerable to injury by preparative treatment. In support of this view it is shown that cytoplasmic microtubules may be altered or even destroyed by exposing the cells to changes in osmotic pressure. Associated with these straight microtubules in the cytoplasm were also found solid microfilaments. The form of these components and their location and alignment in portions of cells which are under tension or in motion suggest that they function in the structural support of the cell and its microspikes and in the transmission of tension in the cytoplasm. A second type of microtubule, smaller in diameter and tortuous in form, was also seen in certain cells and is presumed, from its shape, to have little to do with cytoplasmic support.

Animals↗