Cyclic AMP modulation of ion transport across frog retinal pigment epithelium. Measurements in the short-circuit state.

In the frog retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the cellular levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP) were measured in control conditions and after treatment with substances that are known to inhibit phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity (isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, SQ65442) or stimulate adenylate cyclase activity (forskolin). The cAMP levels were elevated by a factor of 5-7 compared with the controls in PDE-treated tissues and by a factor of 18 in forskolin-treated tissues. The exogenous application of cAMP (1 mM), PDE inhibitors (0.5 mM), or forskolin (0.1 mM) all produced similar changes in epithelial electrical parameters, such as transepithelial potential (TEP) and resistance (Rt), as well as changes in active ion transport. Adding 1 mM cAMP to the solution bathing the apical membrane transiently increased the short-circuit current (SCC) and the TEP (apical side positive) and decreased Rt. Microelectrode experiments showed that the elevation in TEP is due mainly to a depolarization of the basal membrane followed by, and perhaps also accompanied by, a smaller hyperpolarization of the apical membrane. The ratio of the apical to the basolateral membrane resistance increased in the presence of cAMP, and this increase, coupled with the decrease in Rt and the basolateral membrane depolarization, is consistent with a conductance increase at the basolateral membrane. Radioactive tracer experiments showed that cAMP increased the active secretion of Na (choroid to retina) and the active absorption of K (retina to choroid). Cyclic AMP also abolished the active absorption of Cl across the RPE. In sum, elevated cellular levels of cAMP affect active and passive transport mechanisms at the apical and basolateral membranes of the bullfrog RPE

A Socio-technical Analysis of Interdependent Infrastructures among the Built Environment, Energy, and Transportation Systems at the Navy Yard and the Philadelphia Metropolitan Region, USA

This paper reports on a research initiative that explores the interdependencies of the system of systems — the built environment, energy, and transportation — related to the redevelopment of The Navy Yard in Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Metropolitan Region. The overarching goal of the project is a clearer understanding of the dynamics of multi-scale interactions and interdependencies of systems of sociotechnical systems that will be useful to system practitioners. The understanding and the subsequent planning and design of sociotechnical systems are “wicked” problems and one characteristic is there is no definitive formulation. One of the main findings or lessons learned of the work reported for the understanding of interdependencies of infrastructure is the identification of what are the problems or challenges because for wicked problems “[t]he formulation of the problem is the problem!” We find that systems practitioners have an overarching concern of a fragmented regional policy and decision making process. Four main themes of 1. Vulnerability of aging infrastructure, 2. Integration of emerging technology into existing infrastructure, 3. Lifestyle and value changes, and 4. Financial innovations were identified as challenges. Continuing research work explores three possible infrastructure projects for further study as well as the development of a high-level systems of systems model. The principle outcome is the initiation of a planning process so that the system practitioners will learn to better understand the connections among related sociotechnical systems and the constellation of problems they face not within their immediate scope of responsibility yet influences the operations of their systems

L^2 torsion without the determinant class condition and extended L^2 cohomology

We associate determinant lines to objects of the extended abelian category built out of a von Neumann category with a trace. Using this we suggest constructions of the combinatorial and the analytic L^2 torsions which, unlike the work of the previous authors, requires no additional assumptions; in particular we do not impose the determinant class condition. The resulting torsions are elements of the determinant line of the extended L^2 cohomology. Under the determinant class assumption the L^2 torsions of this paper specialize to the invariants studied in our previous work. Applying a recent theorem of D. Burghelea, L. Friedlander and T. Kappeler we obtain a Cheeger - Muller type theorem stating the equality between the combinatorial and the analytic L^2 torsions.Comment: 39 page

Low Velocity Granular Drag in Reduced Gravity

We probe the dependence of the low velocity drag force in granular materials on the effective gravitational acceleration (geff) through studies of spherical granular materials saturated within fluids of varying density. We vary geff by a factor of 20, and we find that the granular drag is proportional to geff, i.e., that the granular drag follows the expected relation Fprobe = {\eta} {\rho}grain geff dprobe hprobe^2 for the drag force, Fprobe on a vertical cylinder with depth of insertion, hprobe, diameter dprobe, moving through grains of density {\rho}grain, and where {\eta} is a dimensionless constant. This dimensionless constant shows no systematic variation over four orders of magnitude in effective grain weight, demonstrating that the relation holds over that entire range to within the precision of our data

Critical points and resonance of hyperplane arrangements

If F is a master function corresponding to a hyperplane arrangement A and a collection of weights y, we investigate the relationship between the critical set of F, the variety defined by the vanishing of the one-form w = d log F, and the resonance of y. For arrangements satisfying certain conditions, we show that if y is resonant in dimension p, then the critical set of F has codimension at most p. These include all free arrangements and all rank 3 arrangements.Comment: revised version, Canadian Journal of Mathematics, to appea

Space power distribution system technology. Volume 2: Autonomous power management

Electrical power subsystem requirements, power management system functional requirements, algorithms, power management subsystem, hardware development, and trade studies and analyses are discussed

A comparison of arbitration procedures for risk averse disputants

We propose an arbitration model framework that generalizes many previous quantitative models of final offer arbitration, conventional arbitration, and some proposed alternatives to them. Our model allows the two disputants to be risk averse and assumes that the issue(s) in dispute can be summarized by a single quantifiable value. We compare the performance of the different arbitration procedures by analyzing the gap between the disputants' equilibrium offers and the width of the contract zone that these offers imply. Our results suggest that final offer arbitration should give results superior to those of conventional arbitration.Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Gran

Geometric and homological finiteness in free abelian covers

We describe some of the connections between the Bieri-Neumann-Strebel-Renz invariants, the Dwyer-Fried invariants, and the cohomology support loci of a space X. Under suitable hypotheses, the geometric and homological finiteness properties of regular, free abelian covers of X can be expressed in terms of the resonance varieties, extracted from the cohomology ring of X. In general, though, translated components in the characteristic varieties affect the answer. We illustrate this theory in the setting of toric complexes, as well as smooth, complex projective and quasi-projective varieties, with special emphasis on configuration spaces of Riemann surfaces and complements of hyperplane arrangements.Comment: 30 pages; to appear in Configuration Spaces: Geometry, Combinatorics and Topology (Centro De Giorgi, 2010), Edizioni della Normale, Pisa, 201

Supersymmetry, homology with twisted coefficients and n-dimensional knots

Let $n$ be any natural number. Let $K$ be any $n$-dimensional knot in $S^{n+2}$. We define a supersymmetric quantum system for $K$ with the following properties. We firstly construct a set of functional spaces (spaces of fermionic \{resp. bosonic\} states) and a set of operators (supersymmetric infinitesimal transformations) in an explicit way. Thus we obtain a set of the Witten indexes for $K$. Our Witten indexes are topological invariants for $n$-dimensional knots. Our Witten indexes are not zero in general. If $K$ is equivalent to the trivial knot, all of our Witten indexes are zero. Our Witten indexes restrict the Alexander polynomials of $n$-knots. If one of our Witten indexes for an $n$-knot $K$ is nonzero, then one of the Alexander polynomials of $K$ is nontrivial. Our Witten indexes are connected with homology with twisted coefficients. Roughly speaking, our Witten indexes have path integral representation by using a usual manner of supersymmetric theory.Comment: 10pages, no figure