PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M J Lamb

Publications and source records attributed to M J Lamb.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Kalpha yields from Ti foils irradiated with ultrashort laser pulses.

We have studied the emission of Kalpha radiation from Ti foils irradiated with ultrashort (45 fs) laser pulses. We utilized the fundamental (800 nm) light from a Ti:sapphire laser on bare foils and foils coated with a thin layer of parylene E (CH). The focusing was varied widely to give a range of intensities from approximately 10(15) - 10(19) W cm(-2). Our results show a conversion efficiency of laser to Kalpha energy of approximately 10(-4) at tight focus for both types of targets. In addition, the coated targets exhibited strong secondary peaks of conversion at large defocus, which we believe are due to modification of the extent of preformed plasma due to the dielectric nature of the plastic layer. This in turn affects the level of resonance absorption. A simple model of Kalpha production predicts a much higher conversion than seen experimentally and possible reasons for this are discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

[Epigenetic heredity in evolution].

We discuss the role of cell memory in heredity and evolution. We describe the properties of the epigenetic inheritance systems (EISs) that underlie cell memory and enable environmentally and developmentally induced cell phenotypes to be transmitted in cell lineages, and argue that transgenerational epigenetic inheritance is an important and neglected part of heredity. By looking at the part EISs have played in the evolution of multicellularity, ontogeny, chromosome organization, and the origin of some post-mating isolating mechanisms, we show how considering the role of epigenetic inheritance can sometimes shed light on major evolutionary processes.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Sex chromosomes and speciation.

Studies of reproductive isolation between animal species have shown (i) that if one sex of the hybrids between two species is sterile or inviable, it is usually the heterogametic sex (Haldane's rule), and (ii) the genes on the sex chromosomes play a particularly large role in hybrid sterility and inviability. We propose an explanation for these two observations which is based on the changes in chromosome conformation which take place during gametogenesis. These changes are far greater in sex chromosomes than in autosomes. They are also greater in the heterogametic than in the homogametic sex. We suggest that the sensitivity of hybrids of the heterogametic sex to the genetic divergence that occurs during periods of population isolation is partly the result of the failure of their sex chromosomes to undergo appropriate conformational changes. This hypothesis explains why the sex chromosomes play a disproportionate role in post-zygotic, but not in pre-zygotic, isolation, and why often only the germ line is sensitive to hybridization.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

The evolution of heteromorphic sex chromosomes.

The facts and ideas which have been discussed lead to the following synthesis and model. 1. Heteromorphic sex chromosomes evolved from a pair of homomorphic chromosomes which had an allelic difference at the sex-determining locus. 2. The first step in the evolution of sex-chromosome heteromorphism involved either a conformational or a structural difference between the homologues. A structural difference could have arisen through a rearrangement such as an inversion or a translocation. A conformational difference could have occurred if the sex-determining locus was located in a chromosomal domain which behaved as a single control unit and involved a substantial segment of the chromosome. It is assumed that any conformational difference present in somatic cells would have been maintained in meiotic prophase. 3. Lack of conformational or structural homology between the sex chromosomes led to meiotic pairing failure. Since pairing failure reduced fertility, mechanisms preventing it had a selective advantage. Meiotic inactivation (heterochromatinization) of the differential region of the X chromosome in species with heterogametic males and euchromatinization of the W in species with heterogametic females are such mechanisms, and through them the pairing problems are avoided. 4. Structural and conformational differences between the sex chromosomes in the heterogametic sex reduced recombination. In heterogametic males recombination was reduced still further by the heterochromatinization of the X chromosome, which evolved in response to selection against meiotic pairing failure. 5. Suppression of recombination resulted in an increase in the mutation rate and an increased rate of fixation of deleterious mutations in the recombination-free chromosome regions. Functional degeneration of the genetically isolated regions of the Y and W was the result. In XY males this often led to further meiotic inactivation of the differential region of the X chromosome, and in this way an evolutionary positive-feedback loop may have been established. 6. Structural degeneration (loss of material) followed functional degeneration of Y or W chromosomes either because the functionally degenerate genes had deleterious effects which made their loss a selective advantage, or because shorter chromosomes were selectively neutral and became fixed by chance. 7. The evolutionary routes to sex-chromosome heteromorphism in groups with female heterogamety are more limited than in those with male heterogamety. Oocytes are usually large and long-lived, and are likely to need the products of X- or Z-linked genes. Meiotic inactivation of these chromosomes is therefore unlikely. In the oocytes of ZW females, meiotic pairing failure is avoided through euchromatinization of the W rather than heterochromatinization of the Z chromosome.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Lamarckism and ageing.

Although it is usually assumed that Lamarckian inheritance does not and cannot occur, molecular mechanisms by which non-mutational changes acquired in one generation can be transmitted to the next are now known. These mechanisms involve changes in chromatin structure, rather than changes in DNA base sequence. It is argued that some parentalage effects and Lansing effects may be due to inherited changes in chromatin structure. Methods of testing this idea are suggested.

Aging↗
PubMed1989

The inheritance of acquired epigenetic variations.

There is evidence that the functional history of a gene in one generation can influence its expression in the next. In somatic cells, changes in gene activity are frequently associated with changes in the pattern of methylation of the cytosines in DNA; these methylation patterns are stably inherited. Recent work suggests that information about patterns of methylation and other epigenetic states can also be transmitted from parents to offspring. This evidence is the basis of a model for the inheritance of acquired epigenetic variations. According to the model, an environmental stimulus can induce heritable chromatin modifications which are very specific and predictable, and might result in an adaptive response to the stimulus. This type of response probably has most significance for adaptive evolution in organisms such as fungi and plants, which lack distinct segregation of the soma and germ line. However, in all organisms, the accumulation of specific and random chromatin modifications in the germ line may be important in speciation, because these modifications could lead to reproductive isolation between populations. Heritable chromatin variations may also alter the frequency and distribution of classical mutations and meiotic recombination. Therefore, inherited epigenetic changes in the structure of chromatin can influence neo-Darwinian evolution as well as cause a type of "Lamarckian" inheritance.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Meiotic pairing constraints and the activity of sex chromosomes.

The state of activity and condensation of the sex chromosomes in gametocytes is frequently different from that found in somatic cells. For example, whereas the X chromosomes of XY males are euchromatic and active in somatic cells, they are usually condensed and inactive at the onset of meiosis; in the somatic cells of female mammals, one X chromosome is heterochromatic and inactive, but both X chromosomes are euchromatic and active early in meiosis. In species in which the female is the heterogametic sex (ZZ males and ZW females), the W chromosome, which is often seen as a condensed chromatin body in somatic cells, becomes euchromatic in early oocytes. We describe an hypothesis which can explain these changes in the activity and condensation of sex chromosomes in gametocytes. It is based on the fact that normal chromosome pairing seems to be essential for the survival of sex cells; chromosomal anomalies resulting in incomplete pairing during meiosis usually result in gametogenic loss. We argue that the changes seen in the sex chromosomes reflect the need to avoid pairing failure during meiosis. Pairing normally requires structural and conformational homology of the two chromosomes, but when the regions is avoided when these regions become heterochromatinized. This hypothesis provides an explanation for the changes found in gametocytes both in species with male heterogamety and those with female heterogamety. It also suggests possible reasons for the frequent origin of large supernumerary chromosomes from sex chromosomes, and for the reported lack of dosage compensation in species with female heterogamety.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Influence of age and diet on DNA synthesis and the DNA content of mid-gut cells in the dipteran Sarcophaga carnaria.

Virgin female Sarcophaga carnaria maintained on a diet of sugar and water had shorter lifespans than those maintained on a liver, sugar and water diet; there was no significant different between the lifespans of mated females or mated males kept on the two diets. Autoradiographs of mid-gut sections from virgin females which had been fed with [3H]thymidine showed substantial amounts of DNA synthesis in the nuclei during at least the first 14-15 days of adult life. Cytophotometric measurements of Feulgen-stained mid-gut nuclei of 0--1-, 2--3-, and 14--15-day-old females showed that the integrated absorbances peaked at values corresponding approximately to 2 C, 4 C, 8 C, 16 C and 32 C. The proportion of nuclei with the higher Feulgen-DNA values increased with age, and was greater in flies maintained on the liver, sugar and water diet. It is suggested that the DNA synthesis observed is associated with polytenization rather than mitotic cell division, and that the level of polyteny reached may reflect age- and diet-related differences in the functional demand made on mid-gut cells.

Aging↗
PubMed1980

An investigation of some genetic toxicological effects of the fungicide benomyl.

The widely used fungicide benomyl (methyl-1-(butylcarbamoyl)-2-benzimidazole carbamate) and its breakdown product methyl-2-benzimidazole carbamate (MBC) have been reported to have mutagenic activity in some organisms. In experiments with Drosophila melanogaster we found (i) there was no significant increase in recessive lethal frequency after feeding adult flies with Benlate did not increase chromosome breakage or loss significantly; (ii) there was a relatively high incidence of sterility when males of one strain (Oregon R) were fed Benlate or MBC. In experiments in which cultures of human lymphocytes were exposed in vitro to 0.5 mg/ml MBC we observed extreme contraction of the chromosomes but found no evidence of an increase in the number of cells with chromosome aberrations. We conclude that benomyl and MBC are unlikely to be strong mutagens, but more research is needed to exclude the possibility that they are capable of inducing genetic damage in the germ cells of higher organisms.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Molecular sieve generation of aviator's oxygen: Performance of a prototype system under simulated flight conditions.

The molecular sieve method of generating an enriched-oxygen breathing gas is one of several candidate onboard oxygen generation (OBOG) systems under joint Army-Navy-Air Force development for application in tactical aircraft. The performance of a nominal two-man-capacity molecular sieve oxygen generation system was characterized under simulated flight conditions. Data are given on the composition of the molecular sieve-generated breathing gas (oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and argon) as a function of inlet air pressure, altitude, breathing gas flow rate, and ambient temperature. The maximum oxygen concentration observed was 95%, with the balance argon. At low demand flow rates and certain conditions of pressure and altitude, the argon enrichment factor exceeded that of oxygen giving a maximum argon concentration of 6.6% with the balance oxygen. The structural integrity of the unit was verified by vibration and centrifuge testing. The performance of the molecular sieve unit is discussed in the context of aircraft operating envelopes using both diluter-demand and 100% delivery subsystems.

Aerospace Medicine↗
PubMed1975

Relationship between linguistic performance and memory deficits in retarded children.

Performance of retarded children was measured on four tests of linguistic ability and two memory tests. Subjects were 50 retarded children: 10 each at mental ages 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The relationship between linguistic performance and memory was assessed by correlational analysis. Multiple and partial correlations were computed using a measure of language comprehension and a measure of memory span as predictor variables and three measures of language production as criterion variables. Different patterns of correlation were found with the three production as criterion variables. Different patterns of correlation were found with the three production measures, suggesting that the relative importance of memory span in language production depends on the specific production task.

Auditory Perception↗