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The gain and loss of functional transcription-factor bindingsites has been proposed as a major source of evolutionary change incis-regulatory DNA and gene expression. We have developed an evolutionarymodel to study binding site turnover that uses multiple sequencealignments to assess the evolutionary constraint on individual bindingsites, and to map gain and loss events along a phylogenetic tree. Weapply this model to study the evolutionary dynamics of binding sites ofthe Drosophila melanogaster transcription factor Zeste, using genome-widein vivo (ChIP-chip) binding data to identify functional Zeste bindingsites, and the genome sequences of D. melanogaster, D. simulans, D.erecta and D. yakuba to study their evolution. We estimate that more than5 percent of functional Zeste binding sites in D. melanogaster weregained along the D. melanogaster lineage or lost along one of the otherlineages. We find that Zeste bound regions have a reduced rate of bindingsite loss and an increased rate of binding site gain relative to flankingsequences. Finally, we show that binding site gains and losses areasymmetrically distributed with respect to D. melanogaster, consistentwith lineage-specific acquisition and loss of Zeste-responsive regulatoryelements.

Ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy (UVRRS) using 244nm excitation was used to investigate the impact of aging on humandentin. The intensity of a spectroscopic feature from the peptide bondsin the collagen increases with tissue age, similar to a finding reportedpreviously for human cortical bone.

It is generally accepted that the properties of polymeric materials are controlled by the network structure and the reactions by which they have been constructed. These properties include the bulk moduli at creation, but also the properties as a function of age during use. In order to interpret mechanical properties and predict the time dependent changes in these properties, detailed knowledge of the effect of structural changes must be obtained. The degree and type of crosslinking, the molecular weight between crosslinks, the number of elastically ineffective chains (loops, dangling chain ends, sol-fraction) must be characterized. A number of theoretical and experimental efforts have been reported in the last few years on model networks prepared by endlinking reactions and the relationships of those structures with the ultimate mechanical properties. A range of experimental methods have been used to investigate structure including rheometric, scattering, infrared, {sup 29}Si MAS and CPMAS, {sup 1}H relaxation measurements, and recently {sup 1}H multiple quantum methods. Characterization of the growth of multiple quantum coherences have recently been shown to provide detailed insight into silicone network structure by the ability to selective probe the individual components of the polymer network, such as the polymer-filler interface or network chains. …

We describe the performance of various materials used as thethermal interface between silicon to silicon and silicon to copper jointswhen operated at ~;120K and loaded with ~;20 watts of thermal power. Wefind that only the indium based silicon-to-silicon joint isreliable.

The axion, a hypothetical elementary particle arising from a compelling solution to the strong-CP problem, has eluded discovery for three decades. Experiments based on coherent axion-photon mixing in strong magnetic fields are just now reaching the sensitivity to detect it, either as the dark matter or as a component of the solar flux. Although of lower sensitivity, purely laboratory experiments hold potential for surprise.

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