Contrasting Modes of Diversification in the Aux/IAA and ARF Gene Families

The complete genomic sequence for Arabidopsis provides the opportunity to combine phylogenetic and genomic approaches to study the evolution of gene families in plants. The Aux/IAA and ARF gene families, consisting of 29 and 23 loci in Arabidopsis, respectively, encode proteins that interact to mediate auxin responses and regulate various aspects of plant morphological development. We developed scenarios for the genomic proliferation of the Aux/IAA and ARF families by combining phylogenetic analysis with information on the relationship between each locus and the previously identified duplicated genomic segments in Arabidopsis. This analysis shows that both gene families date back at least to the origin of land plants and that the major Aux/IAA and ARF lineages originated before the monocot-eudicot divergence. We found that the extant Aux/IAA loci arose primarily through segmental duplication events, in sharp contrast to the ARF family and to the general pattern of gene family proliferation in Arabidopsis. Possible explanations for the unusual mode of Aux/IAA duplication include evolutionary constraints imposed by complex interactions among proteins and pathways, or the presence of long-distance cis-regulatory sequences. The antiquity of the two gene families and the unusual mode of Aux/IAA diversification have a number of potential implications for understanding both the functional and evolutionary roles of these genes

Transient x-ray diffraction used to diagnose shock compressed Si crystals on the Nova laser

Transient x-ray diffraction is used to record time-resolved information about the shock compression of materials. This technique has been applied on Nova shock experiments driven using a hohlraum x-ray drive. Data were recorded from the shock release at the free surface of a Si crystal, as well as from Si at an embedded ablator/Si interface. Modeling has been done to simulate the diffraction data incorporating the strained crystal rocking curves and Bragg diffraction efficiencies. Examples of the data and post-processed simulations are presented

Dispersion Relationship for Solid State Instability Growth and Sensitivity to Equation of State

We have derived an approximate analytical dispersion relation for solid state instability growth following the method of Mikaelian. I He starts with the general eigenvalue equation for the velocity of a perturbation on a finite-thickness fluid layer with surface tension and viscosity, and derives an exact solution numerically from det(M)=0, where M is an 8x8 matrix. He then derives an approximate solution analytically by substituting the inviscid eigenfunctions into the exact eigenvalue equation. The integrations yield a dispersion relation which is a polynomial in the growth rate

High-contrast imaging testbed

Several high-contrast imaging systems are currently under construction to enable the detection of extra-solar planets. In order for these systems to achieve their objectives, however, there is considerable developmental work and testing which must take place. Given the need to perform these tests, a spatially-filtered Shack-Hartmann adaptive optics system has been assembled to evaluate new algorithms and hardware configurations which will be implemented in these future high-contrast imaging systems. In this article, construction and phase measurements of a membrane 'woofer' mirror are presented. In addition, results from closed-loop operation of the assembled testbed with static phase plates are presented. The testbed is currently being upgraded to enable operation at speeds approaching 500 hz and to enable studies of the interactions between the woofer and tweeter deformable mirrors

Evaluating the efficacy of independent versus simultaneous management strategies to address ecological and genetic threats to population viability

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Sue Bignal, all land-owners and farmers and everyone who helped with fieldwork on Islay. We thank members of the Scottish Chough Forum, particularly Rae Mckenzie and Des Thompson for valuable input on management scenarios. AET was funded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. SRF was funded by a Natural Environment Research Council iCASE studentship supported by SNH.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

On Validating an Astrophysical Simulation Code

We present a case study of validating an astrophysical simulation code. Our study focuses on validating FLASH, a parallel, adaptive-mesh hydrodynamics code for studying the compressible, reactive flows found in many astrophysical environments. We describe the astrophysics problems of interest and the challenges associated with simulating these problems. We describe methodology and discuss solutions to difficulties encountered in verification and validation. We describe verification tests regularly administered to the code, present the results of new verification tests, and outline a method for testing general equations of state. We present the results of two validation tests in which we compared simulations to experimental data. The first is of a laser-driven shock propagating through a multi-layer target, a configuration subject to both Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov instabilities. The second test is a classic Rayleigh-Taylor instability, where a heavy fluid is supported against the force of gravity by a light fluid. Our simulations of the multi-layer target experiments showed good agreement with the experimental results, but our simulations of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability did not agree well with the experimental results. We discuss our findings and present results of additional simulations undertaken to further investigate the Rayleigh-Taylor instability.Comment: 76 pages, 26 figures (3 color), Accepted for publication in the ApJ