Solar experiment alignment system

Sensor system determines absolute alignment of optical axis of experiment package relative to solar vector and provides control information to permit pointing experiment anywhere on solar disc to absolute accuracy of the order of two arc seconds in center and five arc seconds on limb

Ca2+-dependent changes in cyclic GMP levels are not correlated with opening and closing of the light-dependent permeability of toad photoreceptors.

We have measured the levels of 3',5'-guanosine monophosphate (cyclic GMP) in isolated retinas from toad to investigate their correlation to the opening and closing of the light-dependent permeability of photoreceptors. When Ca2+-induced changes in cyclic GMP concentration are compared with the Ca2+-induced changes in the permeability of photoreceptor light-dependent channel, four quantitative dissimilarities are noted. First, when extracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]o) is reduced from normal physiological levels to between 10(-6) and 10(-7) M, the light-dependent permeability is increased, but cyclic GMP levels are not significantly changed. Second, when [Ca2+]o is increased from 1.8 to 20 mM, the light-dependent permeability is suppressed, but cyclic GMP levels are decreased by only 10-15%, about one-quarter the decrease that can be obtained with bright illumination. Third, when [Ca2+]o is increased from 10(-8) M to 20 mM, the light-dependent permeability is closed rapidly, but the cyclic GMP decrease is slow. Fourth, when [Ca2+]o is lowered to 10(-8) M, the sensitivity of the light-dependent permeability to steady illumination is decreased by three to four orders of magnitude, but the sensitivity of the light-dependent decrease in cyclic GMP is not significantly affected. These observations indicate that there is no simple correlation between cyclic GMP levels and the permeability of the light-dependent channels and that Ca2+ can affect the conductance in the absence of changes in cyclic GMP content

Integrating R&D and marketing in new product development

R&D - marketing integration is considered to be a critical activity within New Product Development (NPD). A theoretical framework for the study of R&D - marketing integration levels developed by Gupta et al (1986) is one of the most widely cited R&D - marketing integration frameworks in scientific literature. It is based on the presumption that strategy, environmental, organizational and individual factors are those determining R&D - marketing integration levels and consequently NPD success. Several empirical studies have been conducted to test this framework, however most of them have dealt only with portions of Gupta et al (1986)'s model. This paper is an attempt to put forward and test an integrated research protocol for the study of R&D - marketing integration, based on this theoretical framework. Empirical evidence gained from a questionnaire survey and two company case studies show, that people active within the R&D - marketing interface perceive the studied constructs as relevant for R&D - marketing integration, thus giving confirmation to Gupta et al (1986)’s model. The presented research protocol can therefore be considered as a valid start into R&D - marketing integration research within an integrated framework

Barriers in multicultural business communication : an empirical study of Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Companies that work in multicultural environments face several challenges in their everyday business life. In this article we focus on the communication aspect of working in multicultural business environments. We test the hypothesis that companies that work in multicultural environments are subject to communication barriers due to different cultural backgrounds of people that engage in these types of communication. We test the hypothesis through a case study of two companies, one from Bosnia and Herzegovina and one from Slovenia, that engage in mutual multicultural communication. Through an in-depth interview with the project manager who takes part in this communication every day and a survey with the employees, we identify and analyse the communication barriers that the employees perceive as relevant to their business processes. We overcome these barriers through the application of the fruitful intercultural business communication model. The main contribution of this work lies in demonstrating the applicability of this model to practical cases and the demonstration of the fact that cultural barriers can exist and inhibit successful business even in environments in close sociocultural and geographic proximity

The role of the user and the society in new product development

Within the knowledge-based economy several institutions are involved in product innovation processes. Literature study has shown that the most researched and cited are the industry-universitygovernment relations, presented in the Triple Helix model of institutional relations within new product development (NPD). Based on a case study of the Academic Virtual Enterprise, we have put the sole input of these institutions in NPD into question. We have tested and supported the claim that the user and the society are equal partners in the product innovation process. We have put forward the Fourfold Helix model that features a new formation of institutional relations where special focus is placed on the involvement of the user and the society in NPD

Single-channel recordings from cultured human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

We have applied patch-clamp techniques to on-cell and excised-membrane patches from human retinal pigment epithelial cells in tissue culture. Single-channel currents from at least four ion channel types were observed: three or more potassium-selective channels with single-channel slope conductances near 100, 45, and 25 pS as measured in on-cell patches with physiological saline in the pipette, and a relatively nonselective channel with subconductance states, which has a main-state conductance of approximately 300 pS at physiological ion concentrations. The permeability ratios, PK/PNa, measured in excised patches were 21 for the 100-pS channels, 3 for the 25-pS channels, and 0.8 for the 300-pS nonselective channel. The 45-pS channels appeared to be of at least two types, with PK/PNa's of approximately 41 for one type and 3 for the other. The potassium-selective channels were spontaneously active at all potentials examined. The average open time for these channels ranged from a few milliseconds to many tens of milliseconds. No consistent trend relating potassium-selective channel kinetics to membrane potential was apparent, which suggests that channel activity was not regulated by the membrane potential. In contrast to the potassium-selective channels, the activity of the nonselective channel was voltage dependent: the open probability of this channel declined to low values at large positive or negative membrane potentials and was maximal near zero. Single-channel conductances observed at several symmetrical KCl concentrations have been fitted with Michaelis-Menten curves in order to estimate maximum channel conductances and ion-binding constants for the different channel types. The channels we have recorded are probably responsible for the previously observed potassium permeability of the retinal pigment epithelium apical membrane

Educating future product developers in collaborative product development : lessons learned from the european global product realization (EGPR) international course

Changes in the business environment, responses of companies to these changes and the available information and communication technologies (ICT) pose a number of challenges to present and future product developers, as well as to educational institutions. An appropriate response to these challenges is to create a solid basis for strategies to combat stronger competition, since existing educational programs have provided this only to a small extent. In our opinion, the E-GPR course carried out by 5 European universities reflects the tasks of professional product development teams and their work conditions as realistically as possible and will enable students attending the E-GPR course who will soon enter the professional world to later progress along a steeper learning curve. This paper focuses on the role of communication between members of virtual teams and presents experiences gathered during the organization, designing and performance of each year’s courses

Persistent activation of transducin by bleached rhodopsin in salamander rods.

The hydrolysis-resistant GTP analogue GTP-gamma-S was introduced into rods isolated from the retina of the salamander Ambystoma tigrinum to study the origin of the persistent excitation induced by intense bleaching illumination. Dialysis of a dark-adapted rod with a whole-cell patch pipette containing 2 mM GTP-gamma-S resulted in a gradual decrease in circulating current. If the rod was first bleached and its sensitivity allowed to stabilize for at least 30 min, then dialysis with GTP-gamma-S produced a much faster current decay. The circulating current could be restored by superfusion with the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, suggesting that the decay in current originated from persistent excitation of the phosphodiesterase by transducin bound to GTP-gamma-S. We conclude that the persistent excitation which follows bleaching is likely to involve the GTP-binding protein transducin, which mediates the normal photoresponse. This observation suggests that a form of rhodopsin which persists long after bleaching can activate transducin much as does photoisomerized rhodopsin, although with considerably lower gain