Sample records for stabilization

  1. The role of stabilization centers in protein thermal stability

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Magyar, Csaba; Gromiha, M. Michael; Sávoly, Zoltán

    2016-02-26

    The definition of stabilization centers was introduced almost two decades ago. They are centers of noncovalent long range interaction clusters, believed to have a role in maintaining the three-dimensional structure of proteins by preventing their decay due to their cooperative long range interactions. Here, this hypothesis is investigated from the viewpoint of thermal stability for the first time, using a large protein thermodynamics database. The positions of amino acids belonging to stabilization centers are correlated with available experimental thermodynamic data on protein thermal stability. Our analysis suggests that stabilization centers, especially solvent exposed ones, do contribute to the thermal stabilizationmore » of proteins. - Highlights: • Stabilization centers contribute to thermal stabilization of protein structures. • Stabilization center content correlates with melting temperature of proteins. • Exposed stabilization center content correlates with stability even in hyperthermophiles. • Stability changing mutations are frequently found at stabilization centers.« less

  2. Organic Heat Stabilizers for Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): A Synergistic Behavior of Eugenol and Uracil Derivative

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asawakosinchai, Aran; Jubsilp, Chanchira; Mora, Phattarin; Rimdusit, Sarawut

    2017-10-01

    Recycling ability, mechanical, and thermal properties of PVC stabilized with organic heat stabilizers, i.e., uracil (DAU) and eugenol were investigated to substitute PVCs stabilized with commercial lead, Ca/Zn, and organic-based stabilizer for PVC pipe production. PVC stabilized with the DAU and the eugenol can be processable at 30 °C lower than that of the PVC stabilized with commercial heat stabilizers. The most remarkable short-term thermal stability belonged to the PVC stabilized with the DAU, and its original color can be maintained at least up to 3 processing cycles. Synergistic behavior in thermal stability of the PVC mixed with DAU and eugenol at mass ratios of 1.5:1.5 was observed. Mechanical properties of DAU- and eugenol-stabilized PVC were higher than the samples with other heat stabilizers. Glass transition temperature of the PVC stabilized with all heat stabilizers was determined to be 99 °C with the exception of the value of 89 °C for eugenol-stabilized PVC. Therefore, the DAU and the eugenol showed high potential to be used as an organic heat stabilizer for PVC because of their non-toxic and good heat resistance properties.

  3. New Tools for Hybrid Systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-05-02

    stability of a class of discrete event systems ", IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control , vol. 39, no. 2... stability , input/output stability , external stability and incremental input/output stability , as they apply to deterministic finite state machine systems ... class of systems , incremental 1/0 stability and external stability are equivalent notions, stronger than the notion of I/O stability . 15. SUBJECT

  4. Uv-Light Stabilization Additive Package For Solar Cell Module And Laminated Glass Applications

    DOEpatents

    Hanoka, Jack I.; Klemchuk, Peter P.

    2002-03-05

    An ultraviolet light stabilization additive package is used in an encapsulant material that may be used in solar cell modules, laminated glass and a variety of other applications. The ultraviolet light stabilization additive package comprises a first hindered amine light stabilizer and a second hindered amine light stabilizer. The first hindered amine light stabilizer provides thermal oxidative stabilization, and the second hindered amine light stabilizer providing photo-oxidative stabilization.

  5. Internet Addiction: Stability and Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Chiungjung

    2010-01-01

    This longitudinal study examined five indices of stability and change in Internet addiction: structural stability, mean-level stability, differential stability, individual-level stability, and ipsative stability. The study sample was 351 undergraduate students from end of freshman year to end of junior year. Convergent findings revealed stability…

  6. Fractional Stability of Trunk Acceleration Dynamics of Daily-Life Walking: Toward a Unified Concept of Gait Stability

    PubMed Central

    Ihlen, Espen A. F.; van Schooten, Kimberley S.; Bruijn, Sjoerd M.; Pijnappels, Mirjam; van Dieën, Jaap H.

    2017-01-01

    Over the last decades, various measures have been introduced to assess stability during walking. All of these measures assume that gait stability may be equated with exponential stability, where dynamic stability is quantified by a Floquet multiplier or Lyapunov exponent. These specific constructs of dynamic stability assume that the gait dynamics are time independent and without phase transitions. In this case the temporal change in distance, d(t), between neighboring trajectories in state space is assumed to be an exponential function of time. However, results from walking models and empirical studies show that the assumptions of exponential stability break down in the vicinity of phase transitions that are present in each step cycle. Here we apply a general non-exponential construct of gait stability, called fractional stability, which can define dynamic stability in the presence of phase transitions. Fractional stability employs the fractional indices, α and β, of differential operator which allow modeling of singularities in d(t) that cannot be captured by exponential stability. The fractional stability provided an improved fit of d(t) compared to exponential stability when applied to trunk accelerations during daily-life walking in community-dwelling older adults. Moreover, using multivariate empirical mode decomposition surrogates, we found that the singularities in d(t), which were well modeled by fractional stability, are created by phase-dependent modulation of gait. The new construct of fractional stability may represent a physiologically more valid concept of stability in vicinity of phase transitions and may thus pave the way for a more unified concept of gait stability. PMID:28900400

  7. Validity of maximal isometric knee extension strength measurements obtained via belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry in healthy adults.

    PubMed

    Ushiyama, Naoko; Kurobe, Yasushi; Momose, Kimito

    2017-11-01

    [Purpose] To determine the validity of knee extension muscle strength measurements using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry with and without body stabilization compared with the gold standard isokinetic dynamometry in healthy adults. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-nine healthy adults (mean age, 21.3 years) were included. Study parameters involved right side measurements of maximal isometric knee extension strength obtained using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry with and without body stabilization and the gold standard. Measurements were performed in all subjects. [Results] A moderate correlation and fixed bias were found between measurements obtained using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry with body stabilization and the gold standard. No significant correlation and proportional bias were found between measurements obtained using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry without body stabilization and the gold standard. The strength identified using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry with body stabilization may not be commensurate with the maximum strength individuals can generate; however, it reflects such strength. In contrast, the strength identified using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry without body stabilization does not reflect the maximum strength. Therefore, a chair should be used to stabilize the body when performing measurements of maximal isometric knee extension strength using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry in healthy adults. [Conclusion] Belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry with body stabilization is more convenient than the gold standard in clinical settings.

  8. The addition of body armor diminishes dynamic postural stability in military soldiers.

    PubMed

    Sell, Timothy C; Pederson, Jonathan J; Abt, John P; Nagai, Takashi; Deluzio, Jennifer; Wirt, Michael D; McCord, Larry J; Lephart, Scott M

    2013-01-01

    Poor postural stability has been identified as a risk factor for lower extremity musculoskeletal injury. The additional weight of body armor carried by Soldiers alters static postural stability and may predispose Soldiers to lower extremity musculoskeletal injuries. However, static postural stability tasks poorly replicate the dynamic military environment, which places considerable stress on the postural control system during tactical training and combat. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of body armor on dynamic postural stability during single-leg jump landings. Thirty-six 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Soldiers performed single-leg jump landings in the anterior direction with and without wearing body armor. The dynamic postural stability index and the individual stability indices (medial-lateral stability index, anterior-posterior stability index, and vertical stability index) were calculated for each condition. Paired sample t-tests were performed to determine differences between conditions. Significant differences existed for the medial-lateral stability index, anterior-posterior stability index, vertical stability index, and dynamic postural stability index (p < 0.05). The addition of body armor resulted in diminished dynamic postural stability, which may result in increased lower extremity injuries. Training programs should address the altered dynamic postural stability while wearing body armor in attempts to promote adaptations that will result in safer performance during dynamic tasks.

  9. 46 CFR 78.17-22 - Verification of vessel compliance with applicable stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... with all applicable stability requirements in the vessel's trim and stability book, stability letter... draft, trim, and stability must be determined as necessary and any stability calculations made in...

  10. 46 CFR 78.17-22 - Verification of vessel compliance with applicable stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... with all applicable stability requirements in the vessel's trim and stability book, stability letter... draft, trim, and stability must be determined as necessary and any stability calculations made in...

  11. 46 CFR 170.085 - Information required before a stability test.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Information required before a stability test. 170.085... STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Plan Approval § 170.085 Information required before a stability test. If a stability test is to be performed, a stability test procedure that contains...

  12. 46 CFR 170.085 - Information required before a stability test.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Information required before a stability test. 170.085... STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Plan Approval § 170.085 Information required before a stability test. If a stability test is to be performed, a stability test procedure that contains...

  13. 46 CFR 170.085 - Information required before a stability test.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Information required before a stability test. 170.085... STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Plan Approval § 170.085 Information required before a stability test. If a stability test is to be performed, a stability test procedure that contains...

  14. Issues of Stability and Change in Interest Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tracey, Terence J. G.; Sodano, Sandro M.

    2008-01-01

    Interest development is not an easily studied process. There are at least 4 methods for examining the process of stability and change over time: relative stability, absolute stability, profile stability, and structural stability. A program of research that focuses on examining these 4 types of stability is summarized relative to the issues…

  15. Computerized dynamic posturography: the influence of platform stability on postural control.

    PubMed

    Palm, Hans-Georg; Lang, Patricia; Strobel, Johannes; Riesner, Hans-Joachim; Friemert, Benedikt

    2014-01-01

    Postural stability can be quantified using posturography systems, which allow different foot platform stability settings to be selected. It is unclear, however, how platform stability and postural control are mathematically correlated. Twenty subjects performed tests on the Biodex Stability System at all 13 stability levels. Overall stability index, medial-lateral stability index, and anterior-posterior stability index scores were calculated, and data were analyzed using analysis of variance and linear regression analysis. A decrease in platform stability from the static level to the second least stable level was associated with a linear decrease in postural control. The overall stability index scores were 1.5 ± 0.8 degrees (static), 2.2 ± 0.9 degrees (level 8), and 3.6 ± 1.7 degrees (level 2). The slope of the regression lines was 0.17 for the men and 0.10 for the women. A linear correlation was demonstrated between platform stability and postural control. The influence of stability levels seems to be almost twice as high in men as in women.

  16. Composite stabilizer unit

    DOEpatents

    Ebaugh, Larry R.; Sadler, Collin P.; Carter, Gary D.

    1992-01-01

    An improved fin stabilized projectile including multiple stabilizer fins upon a stabilizer unit situated at the aft end of the projectile is provided, the improvement wherein the stabilizer fins are joined into the stabillizer unit by an injection molded engineering grade polymer.

  17. 46 CFR 178.210 - Stability information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Stability information. 178.210 Section 178.210 Shipping... information. (a) Stability information (stability details indicated on the Certificate of Inspection, a... this section. Enough stability information, including stability calculations and assumptions made to...

  18. 46 CFR 178.210 - Stability information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Stability information. 178.210 Section 178.210 Shipping... information. (a) Stability information (stability details indicated on the Certificate of Inspection, a... this section. Enough stability information, including stability calculations and assumptions made to...

  19. Zirconia-molybdenum disilicide composites

    DOEpatents

    Petrovic, John J.; Honnell, Richard E.

    1991-01-01

    Compositions of matter comprised of molybdenum disilicide and zirconium oxide in one of three forms: pure, partially stabilized, or fully stabilized and methods of making the compositions. The stabilized zirconia is crystallographically stabilized by mixing it with yttrium oxide, calcium oxide, cerium oxide, or magnesium oxide and it may be partially stabilized or fully stabilized depending on the amount of stabilizing agent in the mixture.

  20. Trapped particle stability for the kinetic stabilizer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berk, H. L.; Pratt, J.

    2011-08-01

    A kinetically stabilized axially symmetric tandem mirror (KSTM) uses the momentum flux of low-energy, unconfined particles that sample only the outer end-regions of the mirror plugs, where large favourable field-line curvature exists. The window of operation is determined for achieving magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability with tolerable energy drain from the kinetic stabilizer. Then MHD stable systems are analysed for stability of the trapped particle mode. This mode is characterized by the detachment of the central-cell plasma from the kinetic-stabilizer region without inducing field-line bending. Stability of the trapped particle mode is sensitive to the electron connection between the stabilizer and the end plug. It is found that the stability condition for the trapped particle mode is more constraining than the stability condition for the MHD mode, and it is challenging to satisfy the required power constraint. Furthermore, a severe power drain may arise from the necessary connection of low-energy electrons in the kinetic stabilizer to the central region.

  1. 46 CFR 131.513 - Verification of compliance with applicable stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... its trim-and-stability book, stability letter, Certificate of Inspection, and Loadline Certificate... stability requirements, the master shall ascertain the vessel's draft, trim, and stability as necessary; and...

  2. 46 CFR 131.513 - Verification of compliance with applicable stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... its trim-and-stability book, stability letter, Certificate of Inspection, and Loadline Certificate... stability requirements, the master shall ascertain the vessel's draft, trim, and stability as necessary; and...

  3. Stability and the Evolvability of Function in a Model Protein

    PubMed Central

    Bloom, Jesse D.; Wilke, Claus O.; Arnold, Frances H.; Adami, Christoph

    2004-01-01

    Functional proteins must fold with some minimal stability to a structure that can perform a biochemical task. Here we use a simple model to investigate the relationship between the stability requirement and the capacity of a protein to evolve the function of binding to a ligand. Although our model contains no built-in tradeoff between stability and function, proteins evolved function more efficiently when the stability requirement was relaxed. Proteins with both high stability and high function evolved more efficiently when the stability requirement was gradually increased than when there was constant selection for high stability. These results show that in our model, the evolution of function is enhanced by allowing proteins to explore sequences corresponding to marginally stable structures, and that it is easier to improve stability while maintaining high function than to improve function while maintaining high stability. Our model also demonstrates that even in the absence of a fundamental biophysical tradeoff between stability and function, the speed with which function can evolve is limited by the stability requirement imposed on the protein. PMID:15111394

  4. 46 CFR 169.840 - Verification of vessel compliance with applicable stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... that the vessel complies with all applicable stability requirements in the vessel's trim and stability... stability requirements the vessel's draft, trim, and stability must be determined as necessary and any...

  5. 46 CFR 196.15-7 - Verification of vessel compliance with applicable stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... the vessel complies with all applicable stability requirements in the vessel's trim and stability book... requirements the vessel's draft, trim, and stability must be determined as necessary and any stability...

  6. 46 CFR 167.65-42 - Verification of vessel compliance with applicable stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... that the vessel complies with all applicable stability requirements in the vessel's trim and stability... stability requirements the vessel's draft, trim, and stability must be determined as necessary and any...

  7. 46 CFR 169.840 - Verification of vessel compliance with applicable stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... that the vessel complies with all applicable stability requirements in the vessel's trim and stability... stability requirements the vessel's draft, trim, and stability must be determined as necessary and any...

  8. 46 CFR 167.65-42 - Verification of vessel compliance with applicable stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... that the vessel complies with all applicable stability requirements in the vessel's trim and stability... stability requirements the vessel's draft, trim, and stability must be determined as necessary and any...

  9. 46 CFR 196.15-7 - Verification of vessel compliance with applicable stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... the vessel complies with all applicable stability requirements in the vessel's trim and stability book... requirements the vessel's draft, trim, and stability must be determined as necessary and any stability...

  10. 46 CFR 170.085 - Information required before a stability test.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Information required before a stability test. 170.085 Section 170.085 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SUBDIVISION AND STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Plan Approval § 170.085 Information required before a stability test. If a stability test is t...

  11. Rapid Stabilization/Polymerization of Wet Clay Soils; Literature Review

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-01-15

    known as lime, and potassium hydroxide (KOH) were found to increase shear strength, and decrease expansive properties of Diablo clay. The lime...Publication Date: 1991 Purpose of Stabilizer: Control High Swell Potential Stabilizers Tested: Lime, potassium phosphate, potassium chloride...Date: 1988 Purpose of Stabilizer: Stabilizer Stabilizers Tested: Hydroxy-aluminum, hydroxy-aluminum and potassium chloride, hydroxy-aluminum

  12. A proposed new generation of intact stability criteria for assessment of ship stability in longitudinal waves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andrei, C.

    2017-08-01

    Intact ship stability assessment to prevent stability failure in heavy weather conditions is of paramount importance on board vessel. The possibility of assessment the causes that can lead to loss of ship’s stability as well as the assessment of intact stability in heavy seas is a important problem and has attracted a huge interest of the national and international regulatory authorities. Despite the regulations in force, referring to intact ship stability, many ships continued to lose the stability and or capsize due to failure modes that presently are not covered by such regulations. Based on this aspect has been identified the necessity of modelling an updated criteria for assessment of ship’s stability taking into consideration actual possible situations for loss of stability in heavy seas as a measure of increasing she safety of ships. In this respect, the goal of this paper is to illustrate a possible criteria for assessment ship’s stability in heavy seas through a method of determination the possible problems in a form of dynamic stability criteria. A new intact stability criteria is proposed and developed based on separate levels for assessment of vulnerability and susceptibility of ships in situations of parametric rolling and pure loss of stability encountered in extreme sea conditions. Mathematical models correlated with ship’s construction particulars and weather conditions were developed for every separate level in order to assess the ship’s stability. The objective of the proposed criteria is to bring to officers on board ships the possibility of assessment the ship’s intact stability, as a measure of prevention and improvement of safety during the voyage.

  13. Varus-valgus stability at 90° flexion correlates with the stability at midflexion range more widely than that at 0° extension in posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty.

    PubMed

    Hino, Kazunori; Kutsuna, Tatsuhiko; Watamori, Kunihiko; Kiyomatsu, Hiroshi; Ishimaru, Yasumitsu; Takeba, Jun; Watanabe, Seiji; Shiraishi, Yoshitaka; Miura, Hiromasa

    2017-10-01

    Midflexion stability can potentially improve the outcome of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between varus-valgus stability at 0° of extension and 90° of flexion and that at the midflexion range in posterior-stabilized (PS)-TKA. Forty-three knees that underwent PS-TKA were evaluated. Manual mild passive varus-valgus stress was applied to the knees, and the postoperative maximum varus-valgus stability was measured every 10° throughout range of motion, using a navigation system. Correlations between the stability at 0°, 90° of flexion, and that at each midflexion angle were evaluated using Spearman's correlation coefficients. The stability of 0° modestly correlated with that of 10°-20°, but it did not significantly correlate with that of 30°-80°. However, the stability of 90° strongly correlated with that of 60°-80°, modestly correlated with that of 40°-50°, weakly correlated with that of 20°-30°, and did not correlate with that of 10°. The present study confirmed the importance of acquiring stability at 90° flexion to achieve midflexion stability in PS-TKA. However, initial flexion stability did not strongly correlate with the stability at either 0° or 90°. Our findings can provide useful information for understanding varus-valgus stability throughout the range of motion in PS-TKA. Attention to soft tissue balancing is necessary to stabilize a knee at the initial flexion range in PS-TKA.

  14. 46 CFR 97.15-7 - Verification of vessel compliance with applicable stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... applicable stability requirements in the vessel's trim and stability book, stability letter, Certificate of... the vessel's draft, trim, and stability must be determined as necessary. (c) If a log book is required...

  15. 46 CFR 97.15-7 - Verification of vessel compliance with applicable stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... applicable stability requirements in the vessel's trim and stability book, stability letter, Certificate of... the vessel's draft, trim, and stability must be determined as necessary. (c) If a log book is required...

  16. Attitude stability of spinning satellites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Caughey, T. K.

    1980-01-01

    Some problems of attitude stability of spinning satellites are treated in a rigorous manner. With certain restrictions, linearized stability analysis correctly predicts the attitude stability of spinning satellites, even in the critical cases of the Liapunov-Poincare stability theory.

  17. Protein stability: a crystallographer’s perspective

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Deller, Marc C., E-mail: mdeller@stanford.edu; Kong, Leopold; Rupp, Bernhard

    An understanding of protein stability is essential for optimizing the expression, purification and crystallization of proteins. In this review, discussion will focus on factors affecting protein stability on a somewhat practical level, particularly from the view of a protein crystallographer. Protein stability is a topic of major interest for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and food industries, in addition to being a daily consideration for academic researchers studying proteins. An understanding of protein stability is essential for optimizing the expression, purification, formulation, storage and structural studies of proteins. In this review, discussion will focus on factors affecting protein stability, on a somewhatmore » practical level, particularly from the view of a protein crystallographer. The differences between protein conformational stability and protein compositional stability will be discussed, along with a brief introduction to key methods useful for analyzing protein stability. Finally, tactics for addressing protein-stability issues during protein expression, purification and crystallization will be discussed.« less

  18. Surface-stabilized gold nanocatalysts

    DOEpatents

    Dai, Sheng [Knoxville, TN; Yan, Wenfu [Oak Ridge, TN

    2009-12-08

    A surface-stabilized gold nanocatalyst includes a solid support having stabilizing surfaces for supporting gold nanoparticles, and a plurality of gold nanoparticles having an average particle size of less than 8 nm disposed on the stabilizing surfaces. The surface-stabilized gold nanocatalyst provides enhanced stability, such as at high temperature under oxygen containing environments. In one embodiment, the solid support is a multi-layer support comprising at least a first layer having a second layer providing the stabilizing surfaces disposed thereon, the first and second layer being chemically distinct.

  19. Control of locomotor stability in stabilizing and destabilizing environments.

    PubMed

    Wu, Mengnan/Mary; Brown, Geoffrey; Gordon, Keith E

    2017-06-01

    To develop effective interventions targeting locomotor stability, it is crucial to understand how people control and modify gait in response to changes in stabilization requirements. Our purpose was to examine how individuals with and without incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) control lateral stability in haptic walking environments that increase or decrease stabilization demands. We hypothesized that people would adapt to walking in a predictable, stabilizing viscous force field and unpredictable destabilizing force field by increasing and decreasing feedforward control of lateral stability, respectively. Adaptations in feedforward control were measured using after-effects when fields were removed. Both groups significantly (p<0.05) decreased step width in the stabilizing field. When the stabilizing field was removed, narrower steps persisted in both groups and subjects with iSCI significantly increased movement variability (p<0.05). The after-effect of walking in the stabilizing field was a suppression of ongoing general stabilization mechanisms. In the destabilizing field, subjects with iSCI took faster steps and increased lateral margins of stability (p<0.05). Step frequency increases persisted when the destabilizing field was removed (p<0.05), suggesting that subjects with iSCI made feedforward adaptions to increase control of lateral stability. In contrast, in the destabilizing field, non-impaired subjects increased movement variability (p<0.05) and did not change step width, step frequency, or lateral margin of stability (p>0.05). When the destabilizing field was removed, increases in movement variability persisted (p<0.05), suggesting that non-impaired subjects made feedforward decreases in resistance to perturbations. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  20. Byzantine-fault tolerant self-stabilizing protocol for distributed clock synchronization systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Malekpour, Mahyar R. (Inventor)

    2010-01-01

    A rapid Byzantine self-stabilizing clock synchronization protocol that self-stabilizes from any state, tolerates bursts of transient failures, and deterministically converges within a linear convergence time with respect to the self-stabilization period. Upon self-stabilization, all good clocks proceed synchronously. The Byzantine self-stabilizing clock synchronization protocol does not rely on any assumptions about the initial state of the clocks. Furthermore, there is neither a central clock nor an externally generated pulse system. The protocol converges deterministically, is scalable, and self-stabilizes in a short amount of time. The convergence time is linear with respect to the self-stabilization period.

  1. Recent progress in degradation and stabilization of organic solar cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Huanqi; He, Weidong; Mao, Yiwu; Lin, Xiao; Ishikawa, Ken; Dickerson, James H.; Hess, Wayne P.

    2014-10-01

    Stability is of paramount importance in organic semiconductor devices, especially in organic solar cells (OSCs). Serious degradation in air limits wide applications of these flexible, light-weight and low-cost power-generation devices. Studying the stability of organic solar cells will help us understand degradation mechanisms and further improve the stability of these devices. There are many investigations into the efficiency and stability of OSCs. The efficiency and stability of devices even of the same photoactive materials are scattered in different papers. In particular, the extrinsic degradation that mainly occurs near the interface between the organic layer and the cathode is a major stability concern. In the past few years, researchers have developed many new cathodes and cathode buffer layers, some of which have astonishingly improved the stability of OSCs. In this review article, we discuss the recent developments of these materials and summarize recent progresses in the study of the degradation/stability of OSCs, with emphasis on the extrinsic degradation/stability that is related to the intrusion of oxygen and water. The review provides detailed insight into the current status of research on the stability of OSCs and seeks to facilitate the development of highly-efficient OSCs with enhanced stability.

  2. Laboratory sample stability. Is it possible to define a consensus stability function? An example of five blood magnitudes.

    PubMed

    Gómez Rioja, Rubén; Martínez Espartosa, Débora; Segovia, Marta; Ibarz, Mercedes; Llopis, María Antonia; Bauça, Josep Miquel; Marzana, Itziar; Barba, Nuria; Ventura, Monserrat; García Del Pino, Isabel; Puente, Juan José; Caballero, Andrea; Gómez, Carolina; García Álvarez, Ana; Alsina, María Jesús; Álvarez, Virtudes

    2018-05-05

    The stability limit of an analyte in a biological sample can be defined as the time required until a measured property acquires a bias higher than a defined specification. Many studies assessing stability and presenting recommendations of stability limits are available, but differences among them are frequent. The aim of this study was to classify and to grade a set of bibliographic studies on the stability of five common blood measurands and subsequently generate a consensus stability function. First, a bibliographic search was made for stability studies for five analytes in blood: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glucose, phosphorus, potassium and prostate specific antigen (PSA). The quality of every study was evaluated using an in-house grading tool. Second, the different conditions of stability were uniformly defined and the percent deviation (PD%) over time for each analyte and condition were scattered while unifying studies with similar conditions. From the 37 articles considered as valid, up to 130 experiments were evaluated and 629 PD% data were included (106 for ALT, 180 for glucose, 113 for phosphorus, 145 for potassium and 85 for PSA). Consensus stability equations were established for glucose, potassium, phosphorus and PSA, but not for ALT. Time is the main variable affecting stability in medical laboratory samples. Bibliographic studies differ in recommedations of stability limits mainly because of different specifications for maximum allowable error. Definition of a consensus stability function in specific conditions can help laboratories define stability limits using their own quality specifications.

  3. 14 CFR 25.175 - Demonstration of static longitudinal stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... stability. 25.175 Section 25.175 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Flight Stability § 25.175 Demonstration of static longitudinal stability. Static longitudinal stability must be shown as follows: (a...

  4. Bivariate and multivariate analyses of the correlations between stability of the erythrocyte membrane, serum lipids and hematological variables.

    PubMed

    Bernardino Neto, M; de Avelar, E B; Arantes, T S; Jordão, I A; da Costa Huss, J C; de Souza, T M T; de Souza Penha, V A; da Silva, S C; de Souza, P C A; Tavares, M; Penha-Silva, N

    2013-01-01

    The observation that the fluidity must remain within a critical interval, outside which the stability and functionality of the cell tends to decrease, shows that stability, fluidity and function are related and that the measure of erythrocyte stability allows inferences about the fluidity or functionality of these cells. This study determined the biochemical and hematological variables that are directly or indirectly related to erythrocyte stability in a population of 71 volunteers. Data were evaluated by bivariate and multivariate analysis. The erythrocyte stability showed a greater association with hematological variables than the biochemical variables. The RDW stands out for its strong correlation with the stability of erythrocyte membrane, without being heavily influenced by other factors. Regarding the biochemical variables, the erythrocyte stability was more sensitive to LDL-C. Erythrocyte stability was significantly associated with RDW and LDL-C. Thus, the level of LDL-C is a consistent link between stability and functionality, suggesting that a measure of stability could be more one indirect parameter for assessing the risk of degenerative processes associated with high levels of LDL-C.

  5. Applying the methodology of Design of Experiments to stability studies: a Partial Least Squares approach for evaluation of drug stability.

    PubMed

    Jordan, Nika; Zakrajšek, Jure; Bohanec, Simona; Roškar, Robert; Grabnar, Iztok

    2018-05-01

    The aim of the present research is to show that the methodology of Design of Experiments can be applied to stability data evaluation, as they can be seen as multi-factor and multi-level experimental designs. Linear regression analysis is usually an approach for analyzing stability data, but multivariate statistical methods could also be used to assess drug stability during the development phase. Data from a stability study for a pharmaceutical product with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) as an unstable drug substance was used as a case example in this paper. The design space of the stability study was modeled using Umetrics MODDE 10.1 software. We showed that a Partial Least Squares model could be used for a multi-dimensional presentation of all data generated in a stability study and for determination of the relationship among factors that influence drug stability. It might also be used for stability predictions and potentially for the optimization of the extent of stability testing needed to determine shelf life and storage conditions, which would be time and cost-effective for the pharmaceutical industry.

  6. Development of Second Generation Intact Stability Criteria

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-12-01

    the intact stability performance of ships, have motivated the development of the second generation intact stability criteria by the IMO Subcommittee on...primary modes of stability failures which are being addressed. The second generation intact stability criteria are planned to have a multitiered structure...and 2 vulnerability criteria that are used as a preliminary design process check of dynamic stability failure risk. This report describes the U.S

  7. Core stability training for injury prevention.

    PubMed

    Huxel Bliven, Kellie C; Anderson, Barton E

    2013-11-01

    Enhancing core stability through exercise is common to musculoskeletal injury prevention programs. Definitive evidence demonstrating an association between core instability and injury is lacking; however, multifaceted prevention programs including core stabilization exercises appear to be effective at reducing lower extremity injury rates. PUBMED WAS SEARCHED FOR EPIDEMIOLOGIC, BIOMECHANIC, AND CLINICAL STUDIES OF CORE STABILITY FOR INJURY PREVENTION (KEYWORDS: "core OR trunk" AND "training OR prevention OR exercise OR rehabilitation" AND "risk OR prevalence") published between January 1980 and October 2012. Articles with relevance to core stability risk factors, assessment, and training were reviewed. Relevant sources from articles were also retrieved and reviewed. Stabilizer, mobilizer, and load transfer core muscles assist in understanding injury risk, assessing core muscle function, and developing injury prevention programs. Moderate evidence of alterations in core muscle recruitment and injury risk exists. Assessment tools to identify deficits in volitional muscle contraction, isometric muscle endurance, stabilization, and movement patterns are available. Exercise programs to improve core stability should focus on muscle activation, neuromuscular control, static stabilization, and dynamic stability. Core stabilization relies on instantaneous integration among passive, active, and neural control subsystems. Core muscles are often categorized functionally on the basis of stabilizing or mobilizing roles. Neuromuscular control is critical in coordinating this complex system for dynamic stabilization. Comprehensive assessment and training require a multifaceted approach to address core muscle strength, endurance, and recruitment requirements for functional demands associated with daily activities, exercise, and sport.

  8. Comparative study of resist stabilization techniques for metal etch processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Becker, Gerry; Ross, Matthew F.; Wong, Selmer S.; Minter, Jason P.; Marlowe, Trey; Livesay, William R.

    1999-06-01

    This study investigates resist stabilization techniques as they are applied to a metal etch application. The techniques that are compared are conventional deep-UV/thermal stabilization, or UV bake, and electron beam stabilization. The electron beam tool use din this study, an ElectronCure system from AlliedSignal Inc., ELectron Vision Group, utilizes a flood electron source and a non-thermal process. These stabilization techniques are compared with respect to a metal etch process. In this study, two types of resist are considered for stabilization and etch: a g/i-line resist, Shipley SPR-3012, and an advanced i-line, Shipley SPR 955- Cm. For each of these resist the effects of stabilization on resist features are evaluated by post-stabilization SEM analysis. Etch selectivity in all cases is evaluated by using a timed metal etch, and measuring resists remaining relative to total metal thickness etched. Etch selectivity is presented as a function of stabilization condition. Analyses of the effects of the type of stabilization on this method of selectivity measurement are also presented. SEM analysis was also performed on the features after a compete etch process, and is detailed as a function of stabilization condition. Post-etch cleaning is also an important factor impacted by pre-etch resist stabilization. Results of post- etch cleaning are presented for both stabilization methods. SEM inspection is also detailed for the metal features after resist removal processing.

  9. Absolute Stability Analysis of a Phase Plane Controlled Spacecraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jang, Jiann-Woei; Plummer, Michael; Bedrossian, Nazareth; Hall, Charles; Jackson, Mark; Spanos, Pol

    2010-01-01

    Many aerospace attitude control systems utilize phase plane control schemes that include nonlinear elements such as dead zone and ideal relay. To evaluate phase plane control robustness, stability margin prediction methods must be developed. Absolute stability is extended to predict stability margins and to define an abort condition. A constrained optimization approach is also used to design flex filters for roll control. The design goal is to optimize vehicle tracking performance while maintaining adequate stability margins. Absolute stability is shown to provide satisfactory stability constraints for the optimization.

  10. Wavelet Filtering to Reduce Conservatism in Aeroservoelastic Robust Stability Margins

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brenner, Marty; Lind, Rick

    1998-01-01

    Wavelet analysis for filtering and system identification was used to improve the estimation of aeroservoelastic stability margins. The conservatism of the robust stability margins was reduced with parametric and nonparametric time-frequency analysis of flight data in the model validation process. Nonparametric wavelet processing of data was used to reduce the effects of external desirableness and unmodeled dynamics. Parametric estimates of modal stability were also extracted using the wavelet transform. Computation of robust stability margins for stability boundary prediction depends on uncertainty descriptions derived from the data for model validation. F-18 high Alpha Research Vehicle aeroservoelastic flight test data demonstrated improved robust stability prediction by extension of the stability boundary beyond the flight regime.

  11. Protein stability: a crystallographer’s perspective

    PubMed Central

    Deller, Marc C.; Kong, Leopold; Rupp, Bernhard

    2016-01-01

    Protein stability is a topic of major interest for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and food industries, in addition to being a daily consideration for academic researchers studying proteins. An understanding of protein stability is essential for optimizing the expression, purification, formulation, storage and structural studies of proteins. In this review, discussion will focus on factors affecting protein stability, on a somewhat practical level, particularly from the view of a protein crystallographer. The differences between protein conformational stability and protein compositional stability will be discussed, along with a brief introduction to key methods useful for analyzing protein stability. Finally, tactics for addressing protein-stability issues during protein expression, purification and crystallization will be discussed. PMID:26841758

  12. A multiloop generalization of the circle criterion for stability margin analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Safonov, M. G.; Athans, M.

    1979-01-01

    In order to provide a theoretical tool suited for characterizing the stability margins of multiloop feedback systems, multiloop input-output stability results generalizing the circle stability criterion are considered. Generalized conic sectors with 'centers' and 'radii' determined by linear dynamical operators are employed to specify the stability margins as a frequency dependent convex set of modeling errors (including nonlinearities, gain variations and phase variations) which the system must be able to tolerate in each feedback loop without instability. The resulting stability criterion gives sufficient conditions for closed loop stability in the presence of frequency dependent modeling errors, even when the modeling errors occur simultaneously in all loops. The stability conditions yield an easily interpreted scalar measure of the amount by which a multiloop system exceeds, or falls short of, its stability margin specifications.

  13. Power System Transient Stability Based on Data Mining Theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cui, Zhen; Shi, Jia; Wu, Runsheng; Lu, Dan; Cui, Mingde

    2018-01-01

    In order to study the stability of power system, a power system transient stability based on data mining theory is designed. By introducing association rules analysis in data mining theory, an association classification method for transient stability assessment is presented. A mathematical model of transient stability assessment based on data mining technology is established. Meanwhile, combining rule reasoning with classification prediction, the method of association classification is proposed to perform transient stability assessment. The transient stability index is used to identify the samples that cannot be correctly classified in association classification. Then, according to the critical stability of each sample, the time domain simulation method is used to determine the state, so as to ensure the accuracy of the final results. The results show that this stability assessment system can improve the speed of operation under the premise that the analysis result is completely correct, and the improved algorithm can find out the inherent relation between the change of power system operation mode and the change of transient stability degree.

  14. The stability of vocational interests from early adolescence to middle adulthood: a quantitative review of longitudinal studies.

    PubMed

    Low, K S Douglas; Yoon, Mijung; Roberts, Brent W; Rounds, James

    2005-09-01

    The present meta-analysis examined the stability of vocational interests from early adolescence (age 12) to middle adulthood (age 40). Stability was represented by rank-order and profile correlations. Interest stability remained unchanged during much of adolescence and increased dramatically during the college years (age 18-21.9), where it remained for the next 2 decades. Analyses of potential moderators showed that retest time interval was negatively related to interest stability and that rank-order stability was less stable than profile stability. Although cohort standings did not moderate stability, interests of the 1940s birth cohort were less stable than those of other cohorts. Furthermore, interests reflecting hands-on physical activities and self-expressive/artistic activities were more stable than scientific, social, enterprising, and clerical interests. Vocational interests showed substantial continuity over time, as evidenced by their higher longitudinal stability when compared with rank-order stability of personality traits. The findings are discussed in the context of psychosocial development.

  15. Stability Analysis for Rotating Stall Dynamics in Axial Flow Compressors

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1999-01-01

    modes determines collectively local stability of the compressor model. Explicit conditions are obtained for local stability of rotating stall which...critical modes determines the stability for rotating stall collectively . We point out that although in a special case our stability condition for...strict crossing assumption implies that the zero solution changes its stability as ~, crosses ~’c. For instance, odk (yc ) > 0 implies that the zero

  16. Effect of Footwear on Dynamic Stability during Single-leg Jump Landings.

    PubMed

    Bowser, Bradley J; Rose, William C; McGrath, Robert; Salerno, Jilian; Wallace, Joshua; Davis, Irene S

    2017-06-01

    Barefoot and minimal footwear running has led to greater interest in the biomechanical effects of different types of footwear. The effect of running footwear on dynamic stability is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to compare dynamic stability and impact loading across 3 footwear conditions; barefoot, minimal footwear and standard running shoes. 25 injury free runners (21 male, 4 female) completed 5 single-leg jump landings in each footwear condition. Dynamic stability was assessed using the dynamic postural stability index and its directional components (mediolateral, anteroposterior, vertical). Peak vertical ground reaction force and vertical loadrates were also compared across footwear conditions. Dynamic stability was dependent on footwear type for all stability indices (ANOVA, p<0.05). Post-hoc tests showed dynamic stability was greater when barefoot than in running shoes for each stability index (p<0.02) and greater than minimal footwear for the anteroposterior stability index (p<0.01). Peak vertical force and average loadrates were both dependent on footwear (p≤0.05). Dynamic stability, peak vertical force, and average loadrates during single-leg jump landings appear to be affected by footwear type. The results suggest greater dynamic stability and lower impact loading when landing barefoot or in minimal footwear. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  17. Evaluation of stabilization techniques for ion implant processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ross, Matthew F.; Wong, Selmer S.; Minter, Jason P.; Marlowe, Trey; Narcy, Mark E.; Livesay, William R.

    1999-06-01

    With the integration of high current ion implant processing into volume CMOS manufacturing, the need for photoresist stabilization to achieve a stable ion implant process is critical. This study compares electron beam stabilization, a non-thermal process, with more traditional thermal stabilization techniques such as hot plate baking and vacuum oven processing. The electron beam processing is carried out in a flood exposure system with no active heating of the wafer. These stabilization techniques are applied to typical ion implant processes that might be found in a CMOS production process flow. The stabilization processes are applied to a 1.1 micrometers thick PFI-38A i-line photoresist film prior to ion implant processing. Post stabilization CD variation is detailed with respect to wall slope and feature integrity. SEM photographs detail the effects of the stabilization technique on photoresist features. The thermal stability of the photoresist is shown for different levels of stabilization and post stabilization thermal cycling. Thermal flow stability of the photoresist is detailed via SEM photographs. A significant improvement in thermal stability is achieved with the electron beam process, such that photoresist features are stable to temperatures in excess of 200 degrees C. Ion implant processing parameters are evaluated and compared for the different stabilization methods. Ion implant system end-station chamber pressure is detailed as a function of ion implant process and stabilization condition. The ion implant process conditions are detailed for varying factors such as ion current, energy, and total dose. A reduction in the ion implant systems end-station chamber pressure is achieved with the electron beam stabilization process over the other techniques considered. This reduction in end-station chamber pressure is shown to provide a reduction in total process time for a given ion implant dose. Improvements in the ion implant process are detailed across several combinations of current and energy.

  18. 46 CFR 178.215 - Weight of passengers and crew.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ..., for which stability information is based on the results of a simplified stability proof test. (b... simplified stability proof test and the number of passengers and crew included in the total test weight... TONS) INTACT STABILITY AND SEAWORTHINESS Stability Instructions for Operating Personnel § 178.215...

  19. 46 CFR 178.215 - Weight of passengers and crew.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ..., for which stability information is based on the results of a simplified stability proof test. (b... simplified stability proof test and the number of passengers and crew included in the total test weight... TONS) INTACT STABILITY AND SEAWORTHINESS Stability Instructions for Operating Personnel § 178.215...

  20. 46 CFR 178.215 - Weight of passengers and crew.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ..., for which stability information is based on the results of a simplified stability proof test. (b... simplified stability proof test and the number of passengers and crew included in the total test weight... TONS) INTACT STABILITY AND SEAWORTHINESS Stability Instructions for Operating Personnel § 178.215...

  1. 46 CFR 178.215 - Weight of passengers and crew.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ..., for which stability information is based on the results of a simplified stability proof test. (b... simplified stability proof test and the number of passengers and crew included in the total test weight... TONS) INTACT STABILITY AND SEAWORTHINESS Stability Instructions for Operating Personnel § 178.215...

  2. Development of Sorbents for Extraction and Stabilization of Nucleic Acids

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-09-13

    traditional stabilization compounds. The materials were further shown to provide capture and subsequent stabilization of targets from a complex ...22 CAPTURE FROM COMPLEX SOLUTIONS...stabilization compounds (sugars and BSA). The materials were further shown to provide capture and subsequent stabilization of targets from a complex

  3. 7 CFR 58.926 - Heat stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Heat stability. 58.926 Section 58.926 Agriculture... Procedures § 58.926 Heat stability. Prior to thermal processing of concentrated products and where stabilizers are allowed, tests should be made on the heat stability of the product to determine necessity for...

  4. 7 CFR 58.926 - Heat stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Heat stability. 58.926 Section 58.926 Agriculture... Procedures § 58.926 Heat stability. Prior to thermal processing of concentrated products and where stabilizers are allowed, tests should be made on the heat stability of the product to determine necessity for...

  5. Design concepts using ring lasers for frequency stabilization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mocker, H.

    1967-01-01

    Laser frequency stabilization methods are based on a frequency discriminant which generates an unambiguous deviation signal used for automatic stabilization. Closed-loop control stabilizes cavity length at a null point. Some systems have a stabilized ring laser using a piezoelectric dither and others use a Doppler gain tube.

  6. 7 CFR 58.926 - Heat stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Heat stability. 58.926 Section 58.926 Agriculture... Procedures § 58.926 Heat stability. Prior to thermal processing of concentrated products and where stabilizers are allowed, tests should be made on the heat stability of the product to determine necessity for...

  7. 7 CFR 58.926 - Heat stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Heat stability. 58.926 Section 58.926 Agriculture... Procedures § 58.926 Heat stability. Prior to thermal processing of concentrated products and where stabilizers are allowed, tests should be made on the heat stability of the product to determine necessity for...

  8. 7 CFR 58.926 - Heat stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Heat stability. 58.926 Section 58.926 Agriculture... Procedures § 58.926 Heat stability. Prior to thermal processing of concentrated products and where stabilizers are allowed, tests should be made on the heat stability of the product to determine necessity for...

  9. 21 CFR 211.166 - Stability testing.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Stability testing. 211.166 Section 211.166 Food... Stability testing. (a) There shall be a written testing program designed to assess the stability characteristics of drug products. The results of such stability testing shall be used in determining appropriate...

  10. 21 CFR 211.166 - Stability testing.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Stability testing. 211.166 Section 211.166 Food... Stability testing. (a) There shall be a written testing program designed to assess the stability characteristics of drug products. The results of such stability testing shall be used in determining appropriate...

  11. 21 CFR 211.166 - Stability testing.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Stability testing. 211.166 Section 211.166 Food... Stability testing. (a) There shall be a written testing program designed to assess the stability characteristics of drug products. The results of such stability testing shall be used in determining appropriate...

  12. 21 CFR 211.166 - Stability testing.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Stability testing. 211.166 Section 211.166 Food... Stability testing. (a) There shall be a written testing program designed to assess the stability characteristics of drug products. The results of such stability testing shall be used in determining appropriate...

  13. High Aggregate Stability Coefficients Can Be Obtained for Unstable Traits.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Day, H. D.; Marshall, Dave

    In the light of research by Epstein (1979) (which reported that error of measurement in the analysis of behavior stability may be reduced by examining the behavior of aggregate stability coefficients computed for measurements with known stability characteristics), this study examines stability coefficients for computer-generated data sets…

  14. Existence and Stability of Viscoelastic Shock Profiles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barker, Blake; Lewicka, Marta; Zumbrun, Kevin

    2011-05-01

    We investigate existence and stability of viscoelastic shock profiles for a class of planar models including the incompressible shear case studied by Antman and Malek-Madani. We establish that the resulting equations fall into the class of symmetrizable hyperbolic-parabolic systems, hence spectral stability implies linearized and nonlinear stability with sharp rates of decay. The new contributions are treatment of the compressible case, formulation of a rigorous nonlinear stability theory, including verification of stability of small-amplitude Lax shocks, and the systematic incorporation in our investigations of numerical Evans function computations determining stability of large-amplitude and nonclassical type shock profiles.

  15. Aqueous clay suspensions stabilized by alginate fluid gels for coal spontaneous combustion prevention and control.

    PubMed

    Qin, Botao; Ma, Dong; Li, Fanglei; Li, Yong

    2017-11-01

    We have developed aqueous clay suspensions stabilized by alginate fluid gels (AFG) for coal spontaneous combustion prevention and control. Specially, this study aimed to characterize the effect of AFG on the microstructure, static and dynamic stability, and coal fire inhibition performances of the prepared AFG-stabilized clay suspensions. Compared with aqueous clay suspensions, the AFG-stabilized clay suspensions manifest high static and dynamic stability, which can be ascribed to the formation of a robust three-dimensional gel network by AFG. The coal acceleration oxidation experimental results show that the prepared AFG-stabilized clay suspensions can improve the coal thermal stability and effectively inhibit the coal spontaneous oxidation process by increasing crossing point temperature (CPT) and reducing CO emission. The prepared low-cost and nontoxic AFG-stabilized clay suspensions, exhibiting excellent coal fire extinguishing performances, indicate great application potentials in coal spontaneous combustion prevention and control.

  16. Stability of Attachment Style in Adolescence: An Empirical Test of Alternative Developmental Processes.

    PubMed

    Jones, Jason D; Fraley, R Chris; Ehrlich, Katherine B; Stern, Jessica A; Lejuez, C W; Shaver, Phillip R; Cassidy, Jude

    2018-05-01

    Few studies have examined stability and change in attachment during adolescence. This 5-year longitudinal study (a) examined whether prototype or revisionist developmental dynamics better characterized patterns of stability and change in adolescent attachment (at T1, N = 176; M age  = 14.0 years, SD = 0.9), (b) tested potential moderators of prototype-like attachment stability, and (c) compared attachment stability in adolescence to stability in adulthood. The results supported the prototype model, which assumes that there is a stable, enduring factor underlying stability and change in attachment. Exploratory moderation analyses revealed that family conflict, parental separation or divorce, minority status, and male sex might undermine the prototype-like stability of adolescent attachment. Stability of attachment was lower in adolescence relative to adulthood. © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  17. Exploratory Research on Bearing Characteristics of Confined Stabilized Soil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Shuai Shuai; Gao, Zheng Guo; Li, Shi Yang; Cui, Wen Bo; Huang, Xin

    2018-06-01

    The performance of a new kind of confined stabilized soil (CSS) was investigated which was constructed by filling the stabilized soil, which was made by mixing soil with a binder containing a high content of expansive component, into an engineering plastic pipe. Cube compressive strength of the stabilized soil formed with constraint and axial compression performance of stabilized soil cylinders confined with the constraint pipe were measured. The results indicated that combining the constraint pipe and the binder containing expansion component could achieve such effects: higher production of expansive hydrates could be adopted so as to fill more voids in the stabilized soil and improve its strength; at the same time compressive prestress built on the core stabilized soil, combined of which hoop constraint provided effective radial compressive force on the core stabilized soil. These effects made the CSS acquire plastic failure mode and more than twice bearing capacity of ordinary stabilized soil with the same binder content.

  18. COMSAC: Computational Methods for Stability and Control. Part 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fremaux, C. Michael (Compiler); Hall, Robert M. (Compiler)

    2004-01-01

    Work on stability and control included the following reports:Introductory Remarks; Introduction to Computational Methods for Stability and Control (COMSAC); Stability & Control Challenges for COMSAC: a NASA Langley Perspective; Emerging CFD Capabilities and Outlook A NASA Langley Perspective; The Role for Computational Fluid Dynamics for Stability and Control:Is it Time?; Northrop Grumman Perspective on COMSAC; Boeing Integrated Defense Systems Perspective on COMSAC; Computational Methods in Stability and Control:WPAFB Perspective; Perspective: Raytheon Aircraft Company; A Greybeard's View of the State of Aerodynamic Prediction; Computational Methods for Stability and Control: A Perspective; Boeing TacAir Stability and Control Issues for Computational Fluid Dynamics; NAVAIR S&C Issues for CFD; An S&C Perspective on CFD; Issues, Challenges & Payoffs: A Boeing User s Perspective on CFD for S&C; and Stability and Control in Computational Simulations for Conceptual and Preliminary Design: the Past, Today, and Future?

  19. A robust nonlinear stabilizer as a controller for improving transient stability in micro-grids.

    PubMed

    Azimi, Seyed Mohammad; Afsharnia, Saeed

    2017-01-01

    This paper proposes a parametric-Lyapunov approach to the design of a stabilizer aimed at improving the transient stability of micro-grids (MGs). This strategy is applied to electronically-interfaced distributed resources (EI-DRs) operating with a unified control configuration applicable to all operational modes (i.e. grid-connected mode, islanded mode, and mode transitions). The proposed approach employs a simple structure compared with other nonlinear controllers, allowing ready implementation of the stabilizer. A new parametric-Lyapunov function is proposed rendering the proposed stabilizer more effective in damping system transition transients. The robustness of the proposed stabilizer is also verified based on both time-domain simulations and mathematical proofs, and an ultimate bound has been derived for the frequency transition transients. The proposed stabilizer operates by deploying solely local information and there are no needs for communication links. The deteriorating effects of the primary resource delays on the transient stability are also treated analytically. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed stabilizer is evaluated through time-domain simulations and compared with the recently-developed stabilizers performed on a multi-resource MG. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Physical stability of R-(+)-Limonene emulsions stabilized by Ulva fasciata algae polysaccharide.

    PubMed

    Shao, Ping; Ma, Huiling; Qiu, Qiang; Jing, Weiping

    2016-11-01

    The physical stability of R-(+)-Limonene emulsions stabilized by Ulva fasciata polysaccharide (UFP) was investigated in this study. Emulsion physical stability was evaluated under different polysaccharide concentrations (1%-5%, wt/wt) and pH values (3.0-11.0). The stability of R-(+)-Limonene emulsions was demonstrated by droplet size distribution, rheological properties, zeta potential and visual phase separation. R-(+)-Limonene emulsions displayed monomodal droplet size distributions, high absolute values of zeta potential and good storage stability when 3% (wt/wt) UFP was used. The rheological properties and stability of R-(+)-Limonene emulsions appeared to be dependent on polysaccharide concentration. The emulsion stability was impacted by pH. Higher zeta potential (-52.6mV) and smaller mean droplet diameter (2.45μm) were achieved in neutral liquid environment (pH 7.0). Extreme acidity caused the flocculation of emulsions, which was manifested as phase separation, while emulsions were quite stable in an alkaline environment. Through comparing the stabilities of emulsions stabilized by different emulsifiers (i.e. UFP, GA and Gelatin), the result suggested that UFP was the best emulsifying agent among them. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Does surface roughness influence the primary stability of acetabular cups? A numerical and experimental biomechanical evaluation.

    PubMed

    Le Cann, Sophie; Galland, Alexandre; Rosa, Benoît; Le Corroller, Thomas; Pithioux, Martine; Argenson, Jean-Noël; Chabrand, Patrick; Parratte, Sébastien

    2014-09-01

    Most acetabular cups implanted today are press-fit impacted cementless. Anchorage begins with the primary stability given by insertion of a slightly oversized cup. This primary stability is key to obtaining bone ingrowth and secondary stability. We tested the hypothesis that primary stability of the cup is related to surface roughness of the implant, using both an experimental and a numerical models to analyze how three levels of surface roughness (micro, macro and combined) affect the primary stability of the cup. We also investigated the effect of differences in diameter between the cup and its substrate, and of insertion force, on the cups' primary stability. The results of our study show that primary stability depends on the surface roughness of the cup. The presence of macro-roughness on the peripheral ring is found to decrease primary stability; there was excessive abrasion of the substrate, damaging it and leading to poor primary stability. Numerical modeling indicates that oversizing the cup compared to its substrate has an impact on primary stability, as has insertion force. Copyright © 2014 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-06-01

    1 1.1. Political Stability .....................................................................................................1...Section 1—Stability and Security 1.1 Political Stability With recent improvements in security, the current political environment in Iraq is

  3. Calculation of the lateral-dynamic stability of aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Raikh, A

    1952-01-01

    Graphs and formulas are given with the aid of which all the aerodynamic coefficients required for computing the lateral dynamic stability can be determined. A number of numerical examples are given for obtaining the stability derivatives and solving the characteristic-stability equation. Approximate formulas are derived with the aid of which rapid preliminary computations may be made and the stability coefficients corrected for certain modifications of the airplane. A derivation of the lateral-dynamic-stability equations is included.

  4. Aeroservoelastic stabilization technique refinement for hypersonic flight vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cheng, Peter Y.; Chan, Samuel Y.; Myers, Thomas T.; Klyde, David H.; Mcruer, Duane T.

    1992-01-01

    Conventional gain-stabilization techniques introduce low frequency effective time delays which can be troublesome from the viewpoint of SSTOV vehicles' flying qualities. These time delays can be alleviated through a blending of gain-stabilization and phase-stabilization techniques; the resulting hybrid phase stabilization (HPS) for the low-frequency structural modes has been noted to have greater residual response than a conventional gain-stabilizer design. HPS design procedures are presently refined, and residual response metrics are developed.

  5. Stability-Constrained Aerodynamic Shape Optimization with Applications to Flying Wings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mader, Charles Alexander

    A set of techniques is developed that allows the incorporation of flight dynamics metrics as an additional discipline in a high-fidelity aerodynamic optimization. Specifically, techniques for including static stability constraints and handling qualities constraints in a high-fidelity aerodynamic optimization are demonstrated. These constraints are developed from stability derivative information calculated using high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Two techniques are explored for computing the stability derivatives from CFD. One technique uses an automatic differentiation adjoint technique (ADjoint) to efficiently and accurately compute a full set of static and dynamic stability derivatives from a single steady solution. The other technique uses a linear regression method to compute the stability derivatives from a quasi-unsteady time-spectral CFD solution, allowing for the computation of static, dynamic and transient stability derivatives. Based on the characteristics of the two methods, the time-spectral technique is selected for further development, incorporated into an optimization framework, and used to conduct stability-constrained aerodynamic optimization. This stability-constrained optimization framework is then used to conduct an optimization study of a flying wing configuration. This study shows that stability constraints have a significant impact on the optimal design of flying wings and that, while static stability constraints can often be satisfied by modifying the airfoil profiles of the wing, dynamic stability constraints can require a significant change in the planform of the aircraft in order for the constraints to be satisfied.

  6. Agglomeration of Celecoxib by Quasi Emulsion Solvent Diffusion Method: Effect of Stabilizer.

    PubMed

    Maghsoodi, Maryam; Nokhodchi, Ali

    2016-12-01

    Purpose: The quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion (QESD) has evolved into an effective technique to manufacture agglomerates of API crystals. Although, the proposed technique showed benefits, such as cost effectiveness, that is considerably sensitive to the choice of a stabilizer, which agonizes from a absence of systemic understanding in this field. In the present study, the combination of different solvents and stabilizers were compared to investigate any connections between the solvents and stabilizers. Methods: Agglomerates of celecoxib were prepared by QESD method using four different stabilizers (Tween 80, HPMC, PVP and SLS) and three different solvents (methyl acetate, ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate). The solid state of obtained particles was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The agglomerated were also evaluated in term of production yield, distribution of particles and dissolution behavior. Results: The results showed that the effectiveness of stabilizer in terms of particle size and particle size distribution is specific to each solvent candidate. A stabilizer with a lower HLB value is preferred which actually increased its effectiveness with the solvent candidates with higher lipophilicity. HPMC appeared to be the most versatile stabilizer because it showed a better stabilizing effect compared to other stabilizers in all solvents used. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the efficiency of stabilizers in forming the celecoxib agglomerates by QESD was influenced by the HLB of the stabilizer and lipophilicity of the solvents.

  7. Considerations for opto-mechanical vs. digital stabilization in surveillance systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kowal, David

    2015-05-01

    Electro-optical surveillance and reconnaissance systems are frequently mounted on unstable or vibrating platforms such as ships, vehicles, aircraft and masts. Mechanical coupling between the platform and the cameras leads to angular vibration of the line of sight. Image motion during detector and eye integration times leads to image smear and a resulting loss of resolution. Additional effects are wavy images for detectors based on a rolling shutter mechanism and annoying movement of the image at low frequencies. A good stabilization system should yield sub-pixel stabilization errors and meet cost and size requirements. There are two main families of LOS stabilization methods: opto-mechanical stabilization and electronic stabilization. Each family, or a combination of both, can be implemented by a number of different techniques of varying complexity, size and cost leading to different levels of stabilization. Opto-mechanical stabilization is typically based on gyro readings, whereas electronic stabilization is typically based on gyro readings or image registration calculations. A few common stabilization techniques, as well as options for different gimbal arrangements will be described and analyzed. The relative merits and drawbacks of the different techniques and their applicability to specific systems and environments will be discussed. Over the years Controp has developed a large number of stabilized electro-optical payloads. A few examples of payloads with unique stabilization mechanisms will be described.

  8. 46 CFR 178.325 - Intact stability requirements-monohull sailing vessels.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... simplified stability proof test detailed in § 178.330 of this part, in the presence of a Coast Guard marine... 46 Shipping 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Intact stability requirements-monohull sailing vessels... PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) INTACT STABILITY AND SEAWORTHINESS Intact Stability Standards § 178...

  9. 46 CFR 178.340 - Stability standards for pontoon vessels on protected waters.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... described in § 178.330(a) of this part when the simplified stability proof test is performed, except that... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Stability standards for pontoon vessels on protected... PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) INTACT STABILITY AND SEAWORTHINESS Intact Stability Standards § 178...

  10. 46 CFR 178.325 - Intact stability requirements-monohull sailing vessels.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... simplified stability proof test detailed in § 178.330 of this part, in the presence of a Coast Guard marine... 46 Shipping 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Intact stability requirements-monohull sailing vessels... PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) INTACT STABILITY AND SEAWORTHINESS Intact Stability Standards § 178...

  11. 46 CFR 178.325 - Intact stability requirements-monohull sailing vessels.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... simplified stability proof test detailed in § 178.330 of this part, in the presence of a Coast Guard marine... 46 Shipping 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Intact stability requirements-monohull sailing vessels... PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) INTACT STABILITY AND SEAWORTHINESS Intact Stability Standards § 178...

  12. Nighttime atmospheric stability changes and their effects on the temporal intensity of a mesoscale convective complex

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hovis, Jeffrey S.; Brundidge, Kenneth C.

    1987-01-01

    A method of interpolating atmospheric soundings while reducing the errors associated with simple time interpolation was developed. The purpose of this was to provide a means to determine atmospheric stability at times between standard soundings and to relate changes in stability to intensity changes in an MCC. Four MCC cases were chosen for study with this method with four stability indices being included. The discussion centers on three aspects for each stability parameter examined: the stability field in the vicinity of the storm and its changes in structure and magnitude during the lifetime of the storm, the average stability within the storm boundary as a function of time and its relation to storm intensity, and the apparent flux of stability parameter into the storm as a consequence of low-level storm relative flow. It was found that the results differed among the four stability parameters, sometimes in a conflicting fashion. Thus, an interpolation of how the storm intensity is related to the changing environmental stability depends upon the particular index utilized. Some explanation for this problem is offered.

  13. Evaluation of the thermal stability of a novel strain of live-attenuated mumps vaccine (RS-12 strain) lyophilized in different stabilizers.

    PubMed

    Jamil, Razieh Kamali; Taqavian, Mohammad; Sadigh, Zohreh-Azita; Shahkarami, Mohammad-Kazem; Esna-Ashari, Fatemeh; Hamkar, Rasool; Hosseini, Seyedeh-Marzieh; Hatami, Alireza

    2014-04-01

    The stability of live-attenuated viral vaccines is important for immunization efficacy. Here, the thermostabilities of lyophilized live-attenuated mumps vaccine formulations in two different stabilizers, a trehalose dihydrate-based stabilizer and a stabilizer containing sucrose, human serum albumin and sorbitol were investigated using accelerated stability tests at 4°C, 25°C and 37°C at time points between 4h (every 4h for the first 24h) and 1 week. Even under the harshest storage conditions of 37°C for 1 week, the 50% cell culture infective dose (CCID50) determined from titrations in Vero cells dropped by less than 10-fold using each stabilizer formulation and thus complied with the World Health Organization's requirements for the potency of live-attenuated mumps vaccines. However, as the half-life of the RS-12 strain mumps virus infectivity was lengthened substantially at elevated temperatures using the trehalose dihydrate (TD)-based stabilizer, this stabilizer is recommended for vaccine use. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-03-01

    1 1.1. Political Stability .....................................................................................................1...March 7, 2008 Section 1—Stability and Security 1.1 Political Stability During this reporting period, improvements in security led to more favorable

  15. Gender difference of ankle stability in the sagittal and frontal planes.

    PubMed

    Hanzlick, Harrison; Hyunglae Lee

    2017-07-01

    This paper offers quantification of ankle stability in relation to simulated haptic environments of varying stiffness. This study analyzes the stability trends of male and female subjects independently over a wide range of simulated environments after subjects were exposed to vigorous position perturbation. Ankle stability was quantified for both degrees-of-freedom of the ankle in the sagittal and frontal planes. Subjects' stability consistently decreased when exposed to environments of negative simulated stiffness. In the frontal plane, male and female subjects exhibited nearly identical stability levels. In the sagittal plane, however, male subjects demonstrated marginally more stability than female subjects in environments with negative stiffness. Results of this study are beneficial to understanding situations in which the ankle is likely to lose stability, potentially resulting in injury.

  16. Highly defective oxides as sinter resistant thermal barrier coating

    DOEpatents

    Subramanian, Ramesh

    2005-08-16

    A thermal barrier coating material formed of a highly defective cubic matrix structure having a concentration of a stabilizer sufficiently high that the oxygen vacancies created by the stabilizer interact within the matrix to form multi-vacancies, thereby improving the sintering resistance of the material. The concentration of stabilizer within the cubic matrix structure is greater than that concentration of stabilizer necessary to give the matrix a peak ionic conductivity value. The concentration of stabilizer may be at least 30 wt. %. Embodiments include a cubic matrix of zirconia stabilized by at least 30-50 wt. % yttria, and a cubic matrix of hafnia stabilized by at least 30-50 wt. % gadolinia.

  17. Signal Processing Methods for Liquid Rocket Engine Combustion Spontaneous Stability and Rough Combustion Assessments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kenny, R. Jeremy; Casiano, Matthew; Fischbach, Sean; Hulka, James R.

    2012-01-01

    Liquid rocket engine combustion stability assessments are traditionally broken into three categories: dynamic stability, spontaneous stability, and rough combustion. This work focuses on comparing the spontaneous stability and rough combustion assessments for several liquid engine programs. The techniques used are those developed at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for the J-2X Workhorse Gas Generator program. Stability assessment data from the Integrated Powerhead Demonstrator (IPD), FASTRAC, and Common Extensible Cryogenic Engine (CECE) programs are compared against previously processed J-2X Gas Generator data. Prior metrics for spontaneous stability assessments are updated based on the compilation of all data sets.

  18. Generalized Hill-stability criteria for hierarchical three-body systems at arbitrary inclinations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grishin, Evgeni; Perets, Hagai B.; Zenati, Yossef; Michaely, Erez

    2017-04-01

    A fundamental aspect of the three-body problem is its stability. Most stability studies have focused on the co-planar three-body problem, deriving analytic criteria for the dynamical stability of such pro/retrograde systems. Numerical studies of inclined systems phenomenologically mapped their stability regions, but neither complement it by theoretical framework, nor provided satisfactory fit for their dependence on mutual inclinations. Here we present a novel approach to study the stability of hierarchical three-body systems at arbitrary inclinations, which accounts not only for the instantaneous stability of such systems, but also for the secular stability and evolution through Lidov-Kozai cycles and evection. We generalize the Hill-stability criteria to arbitrarily inclined triple systems, explain the existence of quasi-stable regimes and characterize the inclination dependence of their stability. We complement the analytic treatment with an extensive numerical study, to test our analytic results. We find excellent correspondence up to high inclinations (˜120°), beyond which the agreement is marginal. At such high inclinations, the stability radius is larger, the ratio between the outer and inner periods becomes comparable and our secular averaging approach is no longer strictly valid. We therefore combine our analytic results with polynomial fits to the numerical results to obtain a generalized stability formula for triple systems at arbitrary inclinations. Besides providing a generalized secular-based physical explanation for the stability of non-co-planar systems, our results have direct implications for any triple systems and, in particular, binary planets and moon/satellite systems; we briefly discuss the latter as a test case for our models.

  19. An introduction to the physical aspects of helicopter stability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gessow, Alfred; Amer, Kenneth B

    1950-01-01

    In order to provide engineers interested in rotating-wing aircraft, but with no specialized training in stability theory, some understanding of the factors that influence the flying qualities of the helicopter, an explanation is made of both the static stability and the stick-fixed oscillation in hovering and forward flight in terms of fundamental physical quantities. Three significant stability factors -- static stability with angle of attack, static stability with speed, and damping due to a pitching or rolling velocity -- are explained in detail.

  20. Insulin pumps and insulin quality--requirements and problems.

    PubMed

    Brange, J; Havelund, S

    1983-01-01

    In developing insulin solution suitable for delivery devices the chemical and biological stability, as well as the physical stability, must be taken into consideration. Addition of certain mono- and disaccharides increases the physical stability of neutral insulin solutions, but concurrently the chemical and biological stability decrease to an unacceptable degree. Addition of Ca-ions in low concentrations offers a physiologically acceptable method for stabilizing neutral insulin solutions against heat precipitation without affecting the quality, including the chemical and biological stability.

  1. Material and Device Stability in Perovskite Solar Cells.

    PubMed

    Kim, Hui-Seon; Seo, Ja-Young; Park, Nam-Gyu

    2016-09-22

    Organic-inorganic halide perovskite solar cells have attracted great attention because of their superb efficiency reaching 22 % and low-cost, facile fabrication processing. Nevertheless, stability issues in perovskite solar cells seem to block further advancements toward commercialization. Thus, device stability is one of the important topics in perovskite solar cell research. In the beginning, the poor moisture resistivity of the perovskite layer was considered as a main problem that hindered further development of perovskite solar cells, which encouraged engineering of the perovskite or protection of the perovskite by a buffer layer. Soon after, other parameters affecting long-term stability were sequentially found and various attempts have been made to enhance intrinsic and extrinsic stability. Here we review the recent progresses addressing stability issues in perovskite solar cells. In this report, we investigated factors affecting stability from material and device points of view. To gain a better understanding of the stability of the bulk perovskite material, decomposition mechanisms were investigated in relation to moisture, photons, and heat. Stability of full device should also be carefully examined because its stability is dependent not only on bulk perovskite but also on the interfaces and selective contacts. In addition, ion migration and current-voltage hysteresis were found to be closely related to stability. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Influence of droplet charge on the chemical stability of citral in oil-in-water emulsions.

    PubMed

    Choi, Seung Jun; Decker, Eric Andrew; Henson, Lulu; Popplewell, L Michael; McClements, David Julian

    2010-08-01

    The chemical stability of citral, a flavor component widely used in beverage, food, and fragrance products, in oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by surfactants with different charge characteristics was investigated. Emulsions were prepared using cationic (lauryl alginate, LAE), non-ionic (polyoxyethylene (23) lauryl ether, Brij 35), and anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) surfactants at pH 3.5. The citral concentration decreased over time in all the emulsions, but the rate of decrease depended on surfactant type. After 7 d storage, the citral concentrations remaining in the emulsions were around 60% for LAE- or Brij 35-stabilized emulsions and 10% for SDS-stabilized emulsions. An increase in the local proton (H(+)) concentration around negatively charged droplet surfaces may account for the more rapid citral degradation observed in SDS-stabilized emulsions. A strong metal ion chelator (EDTA), which has previously been shown to be effective at increasing the oxidative stability of labile components, had no effect on citral stability in LAE- or Brij 35-stabilized emulsions, but it slightly decreased the initial rate of citral degradation in SDS-stabilized emulsions. These results suggest the surfactant type used to prepare emulsions should be controlled to improve the chemical stability of citral in emulsion systems.

  3. Accelerating Vaccine Formulation Development Using Design of Experiment Stability Studies.

    PubMed

    Ahl, Patrick L; Mensch, Christopher; Hu, Binghua; Pixley, Heidi; Zhang, Lan; Dieter, Lance; Russell, Ryann; Smith, William J; Przysiecki, Craig; Kosinski, Mike; Blue, Jeffrey T

    2016-10-01

    Vaccine drug product thermal stability often depends on formulation input factors and how they interact. Scientific understanding and professional experience typically allows vaccine formulators to accurately predict the thermal stability output based on formulation input factors such as pH, ionic strength, and excipients. Thermal stability predictions, however, are not enough for regulators. Stability claims must be supported by experimental data. The Quality by Design approach of Design of Experiment (DoE) is well suited to describe formulation outputs such as thermal stability in terms of formulation input factors. A DoE approach particularly at elevated temperatures that induce accelerated degradation can provide empirical understanding of how vaccine formulation input factors and interactions affect vaccine stability output performance. This is possible even when clear scientific understanding of particular formulation stability mechanisms are lacking. A DoE approach was used in an accelerated 37(°)C stability study of an aluminum adjuvant Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B vaccine. Formulation stability differences were identified after only 15 days into the study. We believe this study demonstrates the power of combining DoE methodology with accelerated stress stability studies to accelerate and improve vaccine formulation development programs particularly during the preformulation stage. Copyright © 2016 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Optimization of Kink Stability in High-Beta Quasi-axisymmetric Stellarators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, G. Y.; Ku, L.-P.; Manickam, J.; Cooper, W. A.

    1998-11-01

    A key issue for design of Quasi-axisymmetric stellarators( A. Reiman et al, this conference.) (QAS) is the stability of external kink modes driven by pressure-induced bootstrap current. In this work, the 3D MHD stability code TERPSICHORE(W.A. Cooper, Phys. Plasmas 3), 275(1996). is used to calculate the stability of low-n external kink modes in a high-beta QAS. The kink stability is optimized by adjusting plasma boundary shape (i.e., external coil configuration) as well as plasma pressure and current profiles. For this purpose, the TERPSICHORE code has been implemented successfully in an optimizer which maximizes kink stability as well as quasi-symmetry. A key factor for kink stability is rotational transform profile. It is found that the edge magnetic shear is strongly stabilizing. The amount of the shear needed for complete stabilization increases with edge transform. It is also found that the plasma boundary shape plays an important role in the kink stability besides transform profile. The physics mechanisms for the kink stability are being studied by examining the contributions of individual terms in δ W of the energy principle: the field line bending term, the current-driven term, the pressure-driven term, and the vacuum term. Detailed results will be reported.

  5. Spatially dependent responses of a large-river fish assemblage to bank stabilization and side channels

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reinhold, Ann Marie; Bramblett, Robert G.; Zale, Alexander V.; Poole, Geoffrey C.; Roberts, David W.

    2017-01-01

    The alteration of rivers by anthropogenic bank stabilization to prevent the erosion of economically valuable lands and structures has become commonplace. However, such alteration has ambiguous consequences for fish assemblages, especially in large rivers. Because most large, temperate rivers have impoundments, it can be difficult to separate the influences of bank stabilization structures from those of main-stem impoundments, especially because both stabilization structures and impoundments can cause side-channel loss. Few large rivers are free flowing and retain extensive side channels, but the Yellowstone River (our study area) is one such river. We hypothesized that in this river (1) bank stabilization has changed fish assemblage structure by altering habitats, (2) side-channel availability has influenced fish assemblage structure by providing habitat heterogeneity, and (3) the influences of bank stabilization and side channels on fish assemblages were spatially scale dependent. We developed a spatially explicit framework to test these hypotheses. Fish assemblage structure varied with the extent of bank stabilization and the availability of side channels; however, not all assemblage subsets were influenced. Nevertheless, bank stabilization and side channels had different and sometimes opposite influences on the fish assemblage. The effects of side channels on fish were more consistent and widespread than those of bank stabilization; the catches of more fishes were positively correlated with side-channel availability than with the extent of bank stabilization. The influences of bank stabilization and side channels on the relative abundances of fish also varied, depending on species and river bend geomorphology. The variation in river morphology probably contributed to the assemblage differences between stabilized and reference river bends; stabilized alluvial pools were deeper than reference alluvial pools, but the depths of stabilized and reference bluff pools did not differ. The strengths of the relationships among fish assemblages, bank stabilization, and side channels were spatially scale dependent; optimum spatial scales ranged from less than 200 m to 3,200 m up- and downstream, suggesting that bank stabilization and side channels influenced fish assemblages across multiple spatial scales.

  6. Untangling the biological contributions to soil stability in semiarid shrublands

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chaudhary, V. Bala; Bowker, Matthew A.; O'Dell, Thomas E.; Grace, James B.; Redman, Andrea E.; Rillig, Matthias C.; Johnson, Nancy C.

    2009-01-01

    Communities of plants, biological soil crusts (BSCs), and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are known to influence soil stability individually, but their relative contributions, interactions, and combined effects are not well understood, particularly in arid and semiarid ecosystems. In a landscape-scale field study we quantified plant, BSC, and AM fungal communities at 216 locations along a gradient of soil stability levels in southern Utah, USA. We used multivariate modeling to examine the relative influences of plants, BSCs, and AM fungi on surface and subsurface stability in a semiarid shrubland landscape. Models were found to be congruent with the data and explained 35% of the variation in surface stability and 54% of the variation in subsurface stability. The results support several tentative conclusions. While BSCs, plants, and AM fungi all contribute to surface stability, only plants and AM fungi contribute to subsurface stability. In both surface and subsurface models, the strongest contributions to soil stability are made by biological components of the system. Biological soil crust cover was found to have the strongest direct effect on surface soil stability (0.60; controlling for other factors). Surprisingly, AM fungi appeared to influence surface soil stability (0.37), even though they are not generally considered to exist in the top few millimeters of the soil. In the subsurface model, plant cover appeared to have the strongest direct influence on soil stability (0.42); in both models, results indicate that plant cover influences soil stability both directly (controlling for other factors) and indirectly through influences on other organisms. Soil organic matter was not found to have a direct contribution to surface or subsurface stability in this system. The relative influence of AM fungi on soil stability in these semiarid shrublands was similar to that reported for a mesic tallgrass prairie. Estimates of effects that BSCs, plants, and AM fungi have on soil stability in these models are used to suggest the relative amounts of resources that erosion control practitioners should devote to promoting these communities. This study highlights the need for system approaches in combating erosion, soil degradation, and arid-land desertification.

  7. Extracellular ascorbate stabilization as a result of transplasma electron transfer in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Santos-Ocaña, C; Navas, P; Crane, F L; Córdoba, F

    1995-12-01

    The presence of yeast cells in the incubation medium prevents the oxidation of ascrobate catalyzed by copper ions. Ethanol increases ascorbate retention. Pyrazole, an alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor, prevents ascorbate stabilization by cells. Chelation of copper ions does not account for stabilization, since oxidation rates with broken or boiled cells or conditioned media are similar to control rates in the absence of cells. Protoplast integrity is needed to reach optimal values of stabilization. Chloroquine, a known inhibitor of plasma membrane redox systems, inhibits the ascorbate stabilization, the inhibition being partially reversed by coenzyme Q6. Chloroquine does not inhibit ferricyanide reduction. Growth of yeast in iron-deficient media to increase ferric ion reductase activity also increases the stabilization. In conclusion, extracellular ascorbate stabilization by yeast cells can reflect a coenzyme Q dependent transplasmalemma electron transfer which uses NADH as electron donor. Iron deficiency increases the ascorbate stabilization but the transmembrane ferricyanide reduction system can act independently of ascorbate stabilization.

  8. The stability cycle—A universal pathway for the stability of films over topography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schörner, Mario; Aksel, Nuri

    2018-01-01

    In the present study on the linear stability of gravity-driven Newtonian films flowing over inclined topographies, we consider a fundamental question: Is there a universal principle, being valid to describe the parametric evolution of the flow's stability chart for variations of different system parameters? For this sake, we first screened all experimental and numerical stability charts available in the literature. In a second step, we performed experiments to fill the gaps which remained. Variations of the fluid's viscosity and the topography's specific shape, amplitude, wavelength, tip width, and inclination were considered. That way, we identified a set of six characteristic patterns of stability charts to be sufficient to describe and unify all results on the linear stability of Newtonian films flowing over undulated inclines. We unveiled a universal pathway—the stability cycle—along which the linear stability charts of all considered Newtonian films flowing down periodically corrugated inclines evolved when the system parameters were changed.

  9. Interval stability for complex systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klinshov, Vladimir V.; Kirillov, Sergey; Kurths, Jürgen; Nekorkin, Vladimir I.

    2018-04-01

    Stability of dynamical systems against strong perturbations is an important problem of nonlinear dynamics relevant to many applications in various areas. Here, we develop a novel concept of interval stability, referring to the behavior of the perturbed system during a finite time interval. Based on this concept, we suggest new measures of stability, namely interval basin stability (IBS) and interval stability threshold (IST). IBS characterizes the likelihood that the perturbed system returns to the stable regime (attractor) in a given time. IST provides the minimal magnitude of the perturbation capable to disrupt the stable regime for a given interval of time. The suggested measures provide important information about the system susceptibility to external perturbations which may be useful for practical applications. Moreover, from a theoretical viewpoint the interval stability measures are shown to bridge the gap between linear and asymptotic stability. We also suggest numerical algorithms for quantification of the interval stability characteristics and demonstrate their potential for several dynamical systems of various nature, such as power grids and neural networks.

  10. 14 CFR 1310.8 - Freedom of Information Act.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 1310.8 Aeronautics and Space AIR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STABILIZATION AIR TRANSPORTATION STABILIZATION... Information Request, Air Transportation Stabilization Board, Assistant Director, Disclosure Services... Appeal, Air Transportation Stabilization Board, Assistant Director, Disclosure Services, Department of...

  11. Temporal Stability and Authenticity of Self-Representations in Adulthood

    PubMed Central

    Diehl, Manfred; Jacobs, Laurie M.; Hastings, Catherine T.

    2008-01-01

    The temporal stability of role-specific self-representations was examined in a sample of 188 young, middle-aged, and older adults. Considerable stability was observed for all self-representations. Central self-descriptors showed significantly greater temporal stability than peripheral self-descriptors. Temporal stability of self-representations was positively associated with self-concept clarity, self-esteem, and positive affect (PA). Age differences were obtained for three of the five self-representations, with older adults showing significantly lower stabilities for self with family, self with friend, and self with significant other compared to young and middle-aged adults. Assessment of the authenticity of adults’ role-specific self-representations showed that greater authenticity tended to be associated with greater temporal stability. Authenticity and the number of positive daily events were significant positive predictors of the stability of self-representations. PMID:18820732

  12. Unstalled flutter stability predictions and comparisons to test data for a composite prop-fan model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Turnberg, J. E.

    1986-01-01

    The aeroelastic stability analyses for three graphite/epoxy composite Prop-Fan designs and post-test stability analysis for one of the designs, the SR-3C-X2 are presented. It was shown that Prop-Fan stability can be effectively analyzed using the F203 modal aeroelastic stability analysis developed at Hamilton Standard and that first mode torsion-bending coupling has a direct effect on blade stability. Positive first mode torsion-bending coupling is a destabilizing factor and the minimization of this parameter will increase Prop-Fan stability. It was also shown that Prop-Fan stability analysis using F203 is sensitive to the blade modal data used as input. Calculated blade modal properties varied significantly with the structural analysis used, and these variations are reflected in the F203 calculations.

  13. [Native, modified, and immobilized chymotrypsin in chaotropic media. Stabilization limits].

    PubMed

    Panova, A A; Levitskiĭ, V Iu; Mozhaev, V V

    1994-07-01

    To stabilize alpha-chymotrypsin against irreversible thermal inactivation at high temperatures, methods of covalent modification and multi-point immobilization in combination with the addition of salting-in compounds were used. The upper limit of the protein stability proved to be the same for a combination of the modification and salting-in media and for each of these methods separately. The limit of stabilization reached by means of covalent immobilization is higher than the limit of stabilization reached by two other methods. The greatest stabilization of immobilized alpha-chymotrypsin by the salting-in media (a 10000 fold increase in the native enzyme's stability level) takes place only in the case of the protein with the minimum number of bonds with the support. Stabilization of the enzyme by these methods is explained in terms of the suppression of the conformational inactivation processes.

  14. Stability and Reactivity: Positive and Negative Aspects for Nanoparticle Processing.

    PubMed

    Xu, Liang; Liang, Hai-Wei; Yang, Yuan; Yu, Shu-Hong

    2018-04-11

    Nanoparticles exist far from the equilibrium state due to their high surface energy. Nanoparticles are therefore extremely unstable and easily change themselves or react with active substances to reach a relatively stable state in some cases. This causes desired changes or undesired changes to nanoparticles and thus makes them exhibit a high reactivity and a poor stability. Such dual nature (poor stability and high reactivity) of nanoparticles may result in both negative and positive effects for nanoparticle processing. However, the existing studies mainly focus on the high reactivity of nanoparticles, whereas their poor stability has been neglected or considered inconsequential. In fact, in some cases the unstable process, which is derived from the poor stability of nanoparticles, offers an opportunity to design and fabricate unique nanomaterials, such as by chemically transforming the "captured" intermediate nanostructures during a changing process, assembling destabilized nanoparticles into larger ordered assemblies, or shrinking/processing pristine materials into the desired size or shape via selective etching. In this review, we aim to present the stability and reactivity of nanoparticles on three levels: the foundation, concrete manifestations, and applications. We start with a brief introduction of dangling bonds and the surface chemistry of nanoparticles. Then, concrete manifestations of the poor stability and high reactivity of nanoparticles are presented from four perspectives: dispersion stability, thermal stability, structural stability, and chemical stability/reactivity. Next, we discuss some issues regarding the stability and reactivity of nanomaterials during applications. Finally, conclusions and perspectives on this field are presented.

  15. Plutonium inventories for stabilization and stabilized materials

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Williams, A.K.

    1996-05-01

    The objective of the breakout session was to identify characteristics of materials containing plutonium, the need to stabilize these materials for storage, and plans to accomplish the stabilization activities. All current stabilization activities are driven by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Recommendation 94-1 (May 26, 1994) and by the recently completed Plutonium ES&H Vulnerability Assessment (DOE-EH-0415). The Implementation Plan for accomplishing stabilization of plutonium-bearing residues in response to the Recommendation and the Assessment was published by DOE on February 28, 1995. This Implementation Plan (IP) commits to stabilizing problem materials within 3 years, and stabilizing all other materials withinmore » 8 years. The IP identifies approximately 20 metric tons of plutonium requiring stabilization and/or repackaging. A further breakdown shows this material to consist of 8.5 metric tons of plutonium metal and alloys, 5.5 metric tons of plutonium as oxide, and 6 metric tons of plutonium as residues. Stabilization of the metal and oxide categories containing greater than 50 weight percent plutonium is covered by DOE Standard {open_quotes}Criteria for Safe Storage of Plutonium Metals and Oxides{close_quotes} December, 1994 (DOE-STD-3013-94). This standard establishes criteria for safe storage of stabilized plutonium metals and oxides for up to 50 years. Each of the DOE sites and contractors with large plutonium inventories has either started or is preparing to start stabilization activities to meet these criteria.« less

  16. New image-stabilizing system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Yuejin

    1996-06-01

    In this paper, a new method for image stabilization with a three-axis image- stabilizing reflecting prism assembly is presented, and the principle of image stabilization in this prism assembly, formulae for image stabilization and working formulae with an approximation up to the third power are given in detail. In this image-stabilizing system, a single chip microcomputer is used to calculate value of compensating angles and thus to control the prism assembly. Two gyroscopes act as sensors from which information of angular perturbation is obtained, three stepping motors drive the prism assembly to compensate for the movement of image produced by angular perturbation. The image-stabilizing device so established is a multifold system which involves optics, mechanics, electronics and computer.

  17. Stochastic stability properties of jump linear systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Feng, Xiangbo; Loparo, Kenneth A.; Ji, Yuandong; Chizeck, Howard J.

    1992-01-01

    Jump linear systems are defined as a family of linear systems with randomly jumping parameters (usually governed by a Markov jump process) and are used to model systems subject to failures or changes in structure. The authors study stochastic stability properties in jump linear systems and the relationship among various moment and sample path stability properties. It is shown that all second moment stability properties are equivalent and are sufficient for almost sure sample path stability, and a testable necessary and sufficient condition for second moment stability is derived. The Lyapunov exponent method for the study of almost sure sample stability is discussed, and a theorem which characterizes the Lyapunov exponents of jump linear systems is presented.

  18. Protein thermal stabilization in aqueous solutions of osmolytes.

    PubMed

    Bruździak, Piotr; Panuszko, Aneta; Jourdan, Muriel; Stangret, Janusz

    2016-01-01

    Proteins' thermal stabilization is a significant problem in various biomedical, biotechnological, and technological applications. We investigated thermal stability of hen egg white lysozyme in aqueous solutions of the following stabilizing osmolytes: Glycine (GLY), N-methylglycine (NMG), N,N-dimethylglycine (DMG), N,N,N-trimethylglycine (TMG), and trimethyl-N-oxide (TMAO). Results of CD-UV spectroscopic investigation were compared with FTIR hydration studies' results. Selected osmolytes increased lysozyme's thermal stability in the following order: Gly>NMG>TMAO≈DMG>TMG. Theoretical calculations (DFT) showed clearly that osmolytes' amino group protons and water molecules interacting with them played a distinctive role in protein thermal stabilization. The results brought us a step closer to the exact mechanism of protein stabilization by osmolytes.

  19. Role of anisotropy in determining stability of electrodeposition at solid-solid interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmad, Zeeshan; Viswanathan, Venkatasubramanian

    2017-10-01

    We investigate the stability of electrodeposition at solid-solid interfaces for materials exhibiting an anisotropic mechanical response. The stability of electrodeposition or resistance to the formation of dendrites is studied within a linear stability analysis. The deformation and stress equations are solved using the Stroh formalism and faithfully recover the boundary conditions at the interface. The stability parameter is used to quantify the stability of different solid-solid interfaces incorporating the full anisotropy of the elastic tensor of the two materials. Results show a high degree of variability in the stability parameter depending on the crystallographic orientation of the solids in contact, and point to opportunities for exploiting this effect in developing Li metal anodes.

  20. Muscle function in glenohumeral joint stability during lifting task.

    PubMed

    Blache, Yoann; Begon, Mickaël; Michaud, Benjamin; Desmoulins, Landry; Allard, Paul; Dal Maso, Fabien

    2017-01-01

    Ensuring glenohumeral stability during repetitive lifting tasks is a key factor to reduce the risk of shoulder injuries. Nevertheless, the literature reveals some lack concerning the assessment of the muscles that ensure glenohumeral stability during specific lifting tasks. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the stabilization function of shoulder muscles during a lifting task. Kinematics and muscle electromyograms (n = 9) were recorded from 13 healthy adults during a bi-manual lifting task performed from the hip to the shoulder level. A generic upper-limb OpenSim model was implemented to simulate glenohumeral stability and instability by performing static optimizations with and without glenohumeral stability constraints. This procedure enabled to compute the level of shoulder muscle activity and forces in the two conditions. Without the stability constraint, the simulated movement was unstable during 74%±16% of the time. The force of the supraspinatus was significantly increased of 107% (p<0.002) when the glenohumeral stability constraint was implemented. The increased supraspinatus force led to greater compressive force (p<0.001) and smaller shear force (p<0.001), which contributed to improved glenohumeral stability. It was concluded that the supraspinatus may be the main contributor to glenohumeral stability during lifting task.

  1. Muscle function in glenohumeral joint stability during lifting task

    PubMed Central

    Begon, Mickaël; Michaud, Benjamin; Desmoulins, Landry; Allard, Paul

    2017-01-01

    Ensuring glenohumeral stability during repetitive lifting tasks is a key factor to reduce the risk of shoulder injuries. Nevertheless, the literature reveals some lack concerning the assessment of the muscles that ensure glenohumeral stability during specific lifting tasks. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the stabilization function of shoulder muscles during a lifting task. Kinematics and muscle electromyograms (n = 9) were recorded from 13 healthy adults during a bi-manual lifting task performed from the hip to the shoulder level. A generic upper-limb OpenSim model was implemented to simulate glenohumeral stability and instability by performing static optimizations with and without glenohumeral stability constraints. This procedure enabled to compute the level of shoulder muscle activity and forces in the two conditions. Without the stability constraint, the simulated movement was unstable during 74%±16% of the time. The force of the supraspinatus was significantly increased of 107% (p<0.002) when the glenohumeral stability constraint was implemented. The increased supraspinatus force led to greater compressive force (p<0.001) and smaller shear force (p<0.001), which contributed to improved glenohumeral stability. It was concluded that the supraspinatus may be the main contributor to glenohumeral stability during lifting task. PMID:29244838

  2. Frequency-tunable Pre-stabilized Lasers for LISA via Sideband-locking

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Livas, Jeffrey C.; Thorpe, James I.; Numata, Kenji; Mitryk, Shawn; Mueller, Guido; Wand, Vinzenz

    2008-01-01

    Laser frequency noise mitigation is one of the most challenging aspects of the LISA interferometric measurement system. The unstabilized frequency fluctuations must be suppressed by roughly twelve orders of magnitude in order to achieve stability sufficient for gravitational wave detection. This enormous suppression will be achieved through a combination of stabilization and common-mode rejection. The stabilization component will itself be achieved in two stages: pre-stabilization to a local optical cavity followed by arm-locking to some combination of the inter-spacecraft distances. In order for these two stabilization stages to work simultaneously, the lock-point of the pre-stabilization loop must be frequency tunable. The current baseline stabilization technique, locking to an optical cavity, does not provide tunability between cavity resonances, which are typically spaced by 100s of MHz. Here we present a modification to the traditional Pound-Drever-Hall cavity locking technique that allows the laser to be locked to a cavity resonance with an adjustable frequency offset. This technique requires no modifications to the optical cavity itself, thus preserving the stability of the frequency reference. We present measurements of the system performance and demonstrate that we can meet implement the first two stages of stabilization.

  3. Influence of immediate loading on provisional restoration in dental implant stability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ikbal, M.; Odang, R. W.; Indrasari, M.; Dewi, R. S.

    2017-08-01

    The success of dental implant treatment is determined by the primary stability at placement. One factor that could influence this stability is occlusal loading through provisional restoration. Two types of loading protocols are usually used: immediate and delayed loading. However, some controversies remain about the influence of occlusal loading on implant stability. Therefore, the influence of immediate loading on implant stability must be studied. An animal study was conducted by placing nine dental implants in the mandibular jaw of three Macaca fascicularis. Provisional restorations with various occlusal contacts (no, light, and normal contact) were placed on the implant. The implant stability was measured using the Ostell ISQ three times: immediately (baseline) and at the first and second months after implant placement. The implant stability between implants with no and normal occlusal contact as well as light and normal occlusal contact showed significant differences (p < 0.05) at the first and second months after implant placement. However, no significant increase (p > 0.05) in implant stability was seen at the baseline and the first and second months after implant placement for all occlusal contact groups. Immediate loading influenced the implant stability, and provisional restoration of implant without occlusal contact showed the highest implant stability.

  4. Effect of glucuronosylation on anthocyanin color stability.

    PubMed

    Osmani, Sarah Anne; Hansen, Esben Halkjaer; Malien-Aubert, Céline; Olsen, Carl-Erik; Bak, Søren; Møller, Birger Lindberg

    2009-04-22

    The effect of glucuronosylation on the color stability of anthocyanins was investigated using glucuronosylated anthocyanins isolated from the flower petals of the red daisy (Bellis perennis) or obtained by enzymatic in vitro synthesis using heterologously expressed red daisy glucuronosyltransferase BpUGT94B1. Color stability toward light and heat stress was assessed by monitoring CIELAB color coordinates and stability at pH 7.0 by A(550). Cyanidin-3-O-2''-O-glucuronosylglucoside showed improved color stability in response to light compared to both cyanidin 3-O-glucoside and cyanidin 3-O-2''-O-diglucoside. A similar increase in color stability was not observed following heat treatment. Glucuronosylation did not increase the stability of anthocyanins at pH 7.0 as determined by A(550). To test for a possible effect of glucuronosylation on the color stability of anthocyanins in plant extracts used for food coloration, an elderberry (Sambucus nigra) extract was glucuronosylated in vitro. Glucuronosylation of approximately 50% of total anthocyanins proceeded fast and resulted in increased color stability in response to both heat and light. The data show that glucuronosylation may be used to stabilize industrially used extracts of natural colorants.

  5. Cervical stability training with and without core stability training for patients with cervical disc herniation: A randomized, single-blind study.

    PubMed

    Buyukturan, B; Guclu-Gunduz, A; Buyukturan, O; Dadali, Y; Bilgin, S; Kurt, E E

    2017-11-01

    This study aims at evaluating and comparing the effects of cervical stability training to combined cervical and core stability training in patients with neck pain and cervical disc herniation. Fifty patients with neck pain and cervical disc herniation were included in the study, randomly divided into two groups as cervical stability and cervical-core stability. Training was applied three times a week in three phases, and lasted for a total duration of 8 weeks. Pain, activation and static endurance of deep cervical flexor muscles, static endurance of neck muscles, cross-sectional diameter of M. Longus Colli, static endurance of trunk muscles, disability and kinesiophobia were assessed. Pain, activation and static endurance of deep cervical flexors, static endurance of neck muscles, cross-sectional diameter of M. Longus Colli, static endurance of trunk muscles, disability and kinesiophobia improved in both groups following the training sessions (p < 0.05). Comparison of the effectiveness of these two training methods revealed that the cervical stability group produced a greater increase in the right transverse diameter of M. Longus Colli (p < 0.05). However, static endurance of trunk muscles and kinesiophobia displayed better improvement in the cervical-core stability group (p < 0.05). Cervical stability training provided benefit to patients with cervical disc herniation. The addition of core stability training did not provide any additional significant benefit. Further research is required to investigate the efficacy of combining other techniques with cervical stability training in patients with cervical disc herniation. Both cervical stability training and its combination with core stability training were significantly and similarly effective on neck pain and neck muscle endurance in patients with cervical disc herniation. © 2017 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

  6. Finite-Time Stabilization and Adaptive Control of Memristor-Based Delayed Neural Networks.

    PubMed

    Wang, Leimin; Shen, Yi; Zhang, Guodong

    Finite-time stability problem has been a hot topic in control and system engineering. This paper deals with the finite-time stabilization issue of memristor-based delayed neural networks (MDNNs) via two control approaches. First, in order to realize the stabilization of MDNNs in finite time, a delayed state feedback controller is proposed. Then, a novel adaptive strategy is applied to the delayed controller, and finite-time stabilization of MDNNs can also be achieved by using the adaptive control law. Some easily verified algebraic criteria are derived to ensure the stabilization of MDNNs in finite time, and the estimation of the settling time functional is given. Moreover, several finite-time stability results as our special cases for both memristor-based neural networks (MNNs) without delays and neural networks are given. Finally, three examples are provided for the illustration of the theoretical results.Finite-time stability problem has been a hot topic in control and system engineering. This paper deals with the finite-time stabilization issue of memristor-based delayed neural networks (MDNNs) via two control approaches. First, in order to realize the stabilization of MDNNs in finite time, a delayed state feedback controller is proposed. Then, a novel adaptive strategy is applied to the delayed controller, and finite-time stabilization of MDNNs can also be achieved by using the adaptive control law. Some easily verified algebraic criteria are derived to ensure the stabilization of MDNNs in finite time, and the estimation of the settling time functional is given. Moreover, several finite-time stability results as our special cases for both memristor-based neural networks (MNNs) without delays and neural networks are given. Finally, three examples are provided for the illustration of the theoretical results.

  7. Robust control with structured perturbations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Keel, Leehyun

    1988-01-01

    Two important problems in the area of control systems design and analysis are discussed. The first is the robust stability using characteristic polynomial, which is treated first in characteristic polynomial coefficient space with respect to perturbations in the coefficients of the characteristic polynomial, and then for a control system containing perturbed parameters in the transfer function description of the plant. In coefficient space, a simple expression is first given for the l(sup 2) stability margin for both monic and non-monic cases. Following this, a method is extended to reveal much larger stability region. This result has been extended to the parameter space so that one can determine the stability margin, in terms of ranges of parameter variations, of the closed loop system when the nominal stabilizing controller is given. The stability margin can be enlarged by a choice of better stabilizing controller. The second problem describes the lower order stabilization problem, the motivation of the problem is as follows. Even though the wide range of stabilizing controller design methodologies is available in both the state space and transfer function domains, all of these methods produce unnecessarily high order controllers. In practice, the stabilization is only one of many requirements to be satisfied. Therefore, if the order of a stabilizing controller is excessively high, one can normally expect to have a even higher order controller on the completion of design such as inclusion of dynamic response requirements, etc. Therefore, it is reasonable to have a lowest possible order stabilizing controller first and then adjust the controller to meet additional requirements. The algorithm for designing a lower order stabilizing controller is given. The algorithm does not necessarily produce the minimum order controller; however, the algorithm is theoretically logical and some simulation results show that the algorithm works in general.

  8. 46 CFR 35.20-7 - Verification of vessel compliance with applicable stability requirements-TB/ALL.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... the vessels's trim and stability book, stability letter, Certificate of Inspection, and Load Line.... (b) When determining compliance with applicable stability requirements the vessel's draft, trim, and...

  9. 46 CFR 35.20-7 - Verification of vessel compliance with applicable stability requirements-TB/ALL.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... the vessels's trim and stability book, stability letter, Certificate of Inspection, and Load Line.... (b) When determining compliance with applicable stability requirements the vessel's draft, trim, and...

  10. Stability of Staphylococcus aureus phage ISP after freeze-drying (lyophilization).

    PubMed

    Merabishvili, Maia; Vervaet, Chris; Pirnay, Jean-Paul; De Vos, Daniel; Verbeken, Gilbert; Mast, Jan; Chanishvili, Nino; Vaneechoutte, Mario

    2013-01-01

    Staphylococcus aureus phage ISP was lyophilized, using an Amsco-Finn Aqua GT4 freeze dryer, in the presence of six different stabilizers at different concentrations. Stability of the lyophilized phage at 4 °C was monitored up to 37 months and compared to stability in Luria Bertani broth and physiological saline at 4 °C. Sucrose and trehalose were shown to be the best stabilizing additives, causing a decrease of only 1 log immediately after the lyophilization procedure and showing high stability during a 27 month storage period.

  11. Nanocellulose-stabilized Pickering emulsions and their applications

    PubMed Central

    Fujisawa, Shuji; Togawa, Eiji; Kuroda, Katsushi

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Pickering emulsion, which is an emulsion stabilized by solid particles, offers a wide range of potential applications because it generally provides a more stable system than surfactant-stabilized emulsion. Among various solid stabilizers, nanocellulose may open up new opportunities for future Pickering emulsions owing to its unique nanosizes, amphiphilicity, and other favorable properties (e.g. chemical stability, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and renewability). In this review, the preparation and properties of nanocellulose-stabilized Pickering emulsions are summarized. We also provide future perspectives on their applications, such as drug delivery, food, and composite materials. PMID:29383046

  12. Frequency stabilization for mobile satellite terminals via LORAN

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ernst, Gregory J.; Kee, Steven M.; Marquart, Robert C.

    1990-01-01

    Digital satellite communication systems require careful management of frequency stability. Historically, frequency stability has been accomplished by continuously powered, high cost, high performance reference oscillators. Today's low cost mobile satellite communication equipment must operate under wide ranging environmental conditions, stabilize quickly after application of power, and provide adequate performance margin to overcome RF link impairments unique to the land mobile environment. Methods for frequency stabilization in land mobile applications must meet these objectives without incurring excessive performance degradation. A frequency stabilization scheme utilizing the LORAN (Long Range Navigation) system is presented.

  13. Nanocellulose-stabilized Pickering emulsions and their applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fujisawa, Shuji; Togawa, Eiji; Kuroda, Katsushi

    2017-12-01

    Pickering emulsion, which is an emulsion stabilized by solid particles, offers a wide range of potential applications because it generally provides a more stable system than surfactant-stabilized emulsion. Among various solid stabilizers, nanocellulose may open up new opportunities for future Pickering emulsions owing to its unique nanosizes, amphiphilicity, and other favorable properties (e.g. chemical stability, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and renewability). In this review, the preparation and properties of nanocellulose-stabilized Pickering emulsions are summarized. We also provide future perspectives on their applications, such as drug delivery, food, and composite materials.

  14. Postural Stability in Healthy Child and Youth Athletes: The Effect of Age, Sex, and Concussion-Related Factors on Performance.

    PubMed

    Paniccia, Melissa; Wilson, Katherine E; Hunt, Anne; Keightley, Michelle; Zabjek, Karl; Taha, Tim; Gagnon, Isabelle; Reed, Nick

    Postural stability plays a key role in sport performance, especially after concussion. Specific to healthy child and youth athletes, little is known about the influence development and sex may have on postural stability while considering other subjective clinical measures used in baseline/preinjury concussion assessment. This study aims to describe age- and sex-based trends in postural stability in uninjured child and youth athletes at baseline while accounting for concussion-related factors. (1) Postural stability performance will improve with age, (2) females will display better postural stability compared to males, and (3) concussion-like symptoms will affect postural stability performance in healthy children and youth. Cross-sectional study. Level 3. This study comprised 889 healthy/uninjured child and youth athletes (54% female, 46% male) between the ages of 9 and 18 years old. Participants completed preseason baseline testing, which included demographic information (age, sex, concussion history), self-report of concussion-like symptoms (Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory [PCSI]-Child and PCSI-Youth), and measures of postural stability (BioSway; Biodex Medical Systems). Two versions of the PCSI were used (PCSI-C, 9- to 12-year-olds; PCSI-Y, 13- to 18-year-olds). Postural stability was assessed via sway index under 4 sway conditions of increasing difficulty by removing visual and proprioceptive cues. In children aged 9 to 12 years old, there were significant age- ( P < 0.05) and sex-based effects ( P < 0.05) on postural stability. Performance improved with age, and girls performed better than boys. For youth ages 13 to 18 years old, postural stability also improved with age ( P < 0.05). In both child and youth subgroups, postural stability worsened with increasing concussion-like symptoms ( P < 0.05). There are developmental and baseline symptom trends regarding postural stability performance. These findings provide a preliminary foundation for postconcussion comparisons and highlight the need for a multimodal approach in assessing and understanding physical measures such as postural stability.

  15. Evaluating the cement stabilization of arsenic-bearing iron wastes from drinking water treatment.

    PubMed

    Clancy, Tara M; Snyder, Kathryn V; Reddy, Raghav; Lanzirotti, Antonio; Amrose, Susan E; Raskin, Lutgarde; Hayes, Kim F

    2015-12-30

    Cement stabilization of arsenic-bearing wastes is recommended to limit arsenic release from wastes following disposal. Such stabilization has been demonstrated to reduce the arsenic concentration in the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), which regulates landfill disposal of arsenic waste. However, few studies have evaluated leaching from actual wastes under conditions similar to ultimate disposal environments. In this study, land disposal in areas where flooding is likely was simulated to test arsenic release from cement stabilized arsenic-bearing iron oxide wastes. After 406 days submersed in chemically simulated rainwater, <0.4% of total arsenic was leached, which was comparable to the amount leached during the TCLP (<0.3%). Short-term (18 h) modified TCLP tests (pH 3-12) found that cement stabilization lowered arsenic leaching at high pH, but increased leaching at pH<4.2 compared to non-stabilized wastes. Presenting the first characterization of cement stabilized waste using μXRF, these results revealed the majority of arsenic in cement stabilized waste remained associated with iron. This distribution of arsenic differed from previous observations of calcium-arsenic solid phases when arsenic salts were stabilized with cement, illustrating that the initial waste form influences the stabilized form. Overall, cement stabilization is effective for arsenic-bearing wastes when acidic conditions can be avoided. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Comparison of Implant Stability Using Resonance Frequency Analysis: Osteotome Versus Conventional Drilling

    PubMed Central

    Sadeghi, Rokhsareh; Miremadi, Asghar

    2015-01-01

    Objectives: Implant primary stability is one of the important factors in achieving implant success. The osteotome technique may improve primary stability in patients with poor bone quality. The aim of this study was to compare implant stability using two different techniques namely osteotome versus conventional drilling in the posterior maxilla. Materials and Methods: In this controlled randomized clinical trial, 54 dental implants were placed in 32 patients; 29 implants were placed in the osteotome group and 25 in the conventional drilling group. Implant stability was assessed at four time intervals namely at baseline, one, two and three months after implant placement using resonance frequency analysis (RFA). Results: Primary stability based on implant stability quotient (ISQ) units was 71.4±7 for the osteotome group and 67.4±10 for the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in implant stability at any of the measurement times. In each group, changes in implant stability from baseline to one month and also from two months to three months post-operatively were not significant but from one month to two months after implant placement, implant stability showed a significant increase in both groups. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that in both techniques, good implant stability was achieved and osteotome technique did not have any advantage compared to conventional drilling in this regard. PMID:27148375

  17. Subgrade stabilization alternatives to lime and cement.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-04-15

    This project involved four distinct research activities, (1) the influence of temperature on lime-stabilized soils, (2) the influence of temperature on cement-stabilized soils (3) temperature modeling of stabilized subgrade and (4) use of calcium chl...

  18. Stabilized Lasers and Precision Measurements.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, J. L.

    1978-01-01

    Traces the development of stabilized lasers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology passive-stabilization experiments of the early 1960s up through the current epoch of highly stabilized helium-neon and carbon dioxide and continuous wave dye lasers. (Author/HM)

  19. Long-term Stabilization of Disturbed Slopes Resulting from Construction Operations

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2018-01-01

    Highway construction disturbs soil, which must be stabilized to prevent migration of soil particles into water bodies. Stabilization is enforced by law, regulation, and a permit system. Stabilization is most efficiently attained by reestablishment of...

  20. U31: vehicle stability and dynamics electronic stability control final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-09-01

    A team led by NTRCI is working to improve the roll and yaw stability of heavy duty combination trucks through developing stability algorithms, assembling demonstration hardware, and investigating robust wireless communication. : Modern electronic sta...

  1. Stability and change in personality disorders.

    PubMed

    Morey, Leslie C; Hopwood, Christopher J

    2013-01-01

    Stability is thought to be one of the major distinguishing features between personality disorders (PDs) and other forms of psychopathology. The development of more reliable PD assessments and the implementation of four major longitudinal studies on PD stability have provided critical data with which to evaluate the stability of PD features. Results from these and other studies reveal significant complexity in the interpretation of PD stability because of several issues that can impact stability estimates. Such estimates will vary as a function of the type of constructs being assessed, the type of stability being considered, the modality and reliability of the assessments being used, and the impacts of sampling. In this article, longitudinal research on PD stability is reviewed in the context of these issues. It is concluded that no single answer can be given to the question, "How stable are PDs?" and that future research and classification need to consider carefully and account for the complexity of this question.

  2. Comparative profiling of sarcoplasmic phosphoproteins in ovine muscle with different color stability.

    PubMed

    Li, Meng; Li, Zheng; Li, Xin; Xin, Jianzeng; Wang, Ying; Li, Guixia; Wu, Liguo; Shen, Qingwu W; Zhang, Dequan

    2018-02-01

    The phosphorylation of sarcoplasmic proteins in postmortem muscles was investigated in relationship to color stability in the present study. Although no difference was observed in the global phosphorylation level of sarcoplasmic proteins, difference was determined in the phosphorylation levels of individual protein bands from muscles with different color stability. Correlation analysis and liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) identification of phosphoproteins showed that most of the color stability-related proteins were glycolytic enzymes. Interestingly, the phosphorylation level of myoglobin was inversely related to meat color stability. As the phosphorylation of myoglobin increased, color stability based on a ∗ value decreased and metMb content increased. In summary, the study revealed that protein phosphorylation might play a role in the regulation of meat color stability probably by regulating glycolysis and the redox stability of myoglobin, which might be affected by the phosphorylation of myoglobin. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. [Rotational stability of angiography catheters].

    PubMed

    Schröder, J; Weber, M

    1992-10-01

    Rotatory stability is a parameter that reflects the ability of a catheter to transmit a rotation applied at the outer end to the catheter tip for the purpose of selective probing. A method for measuring the rotatory stability is described, and the results of rotatory stability measurements of 70 different commercially available catheters are reported. There is an almost linear correlation between the rotatory stability and the difference between the respective fourth power of the external and internal diameter or, approximately, to the fourth power of the external diameter for catheters without wire reinforcement. With the same cross-sectional dimensions, the rotatory stability of teflon, polyethylene, and nylon catheters has an approximate ratio of 1:2:4. Wire reinforcement increases rotatory stability by an average factor of about 3. For catheters of calibers 5 F and 6 F, a correlation between the rotatory stability and the weight of the reinforcing wire mesh is apparent.

  4. Realization of LOS (Line of Sight) stabilization based on reflector using carrier attitude compensation method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mao, Yao; Tian, Jing; Ma, Jia-guang

    2015-02-01

    The techonology of LOS stabilization is widely applicated in moving carrier photoelectric systems such as shipborne, airborne and so on. In application situations with compact structure, such as LOS stabilization system of unmanned aerial vehicle, LOS stabilization based on reflector is adopted, and the detector is installed on the carrier to reduce the volume of stabilized platform and loading weight. However, the LOS deflection angle through reflector and the rotation angle of the reflector has a ratio relation of 2:1, simple reflector of stable inertial space can not make the optical axis stable. To eliminate the limitation of mirror stabilizing method, this article puts forward the carrier attitude compensation method, which uses the inertial sensor installed on the carrier to measure the attitude change of the carrier, and the stabilized platform rotating half of the carrier turbulence angle to realize the LOS stabilization.

  5. Stabilization of dynamics of oscillatory systems by nonautonomous perturbation.

    PubMed

    Lucas, Maxime; Newman, Julian; Stefanovska, Aneta

    2018-04-01

    Synchronization and stability under periodic oscillatory driving are well understood, but little is known about the effects of aperiodic driving, despite its abundance in nature. Here, we consider oscillators subject to driving with slowly varying frequency, and investigate both short-term and long-term stability properties. For a phase oscillator, we find that, counterintuitively, such variation is guaranteed to enlarge the Arnold tongue in parameter space. Using analytical and numerical methods that provide information on time-variable dynamical properties, we find that the growth of the Arnold tongue is specifically due to the growth of a region of intermittent synchronization where trajectories alternate between short-term stability and short-term neutral stability, giving rise to stability on average. We also present examples of higher-dimensional nonlinear oscillators where a similar stabilization phenomenon is numerically observed. Our findings help support the case that in general, deterministic nonautonomous perturbation is a very good candidate for stabilizing complex dynamics.

  6. Stabilization of dynamics of oscillatory systems by nonautonomous perturbation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lucas, Maxime; Newman, Julian; Stefanovska, Aneta

    2018-04-01

    Synchronization and stability under periodic oscillatory driving are well understood, but little is known about the effects of aperiodic driving, despite its abundance in nature. Here, we consider oscillators subject to driving with slowly varying frequency, and investigate both short-term and long-term stability properties. For a phase oscillator, we find that, counterintuitively, such variation is guaranteed to enlarge the Arnold tongue in parameter space. Using analytical and numerical methods that provide information on time-variable dynamical properties, we find that the growth of the Arnold tongue is specifically due to the growth of a region of intermittent synchronization where trajectories alternate between short-term stability and short-term neutral stability, giving rise to stability on average. We also present examples of higher-dimensional nonlinear oscillators where a similar stabilization phenomenon is numerically observed. Our findings help support the case that in general, deterministic nonautonomous perturbation is a very good candidate for stabilizing complex dynamics.

  7. Ideal MHD stability of double transport barrier plasmas in DIII-D

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, G. Q.; Wang, S. J.; Lao, L. L.; Turnbull, A. D.; Chu, M. S.; Brennan, D. P.; Groebner, R. J.; Zhao, L.

    2008-01-01

    The ideal MHD stability for double transport barrier (DTB or DB) plasmas with varying edge and internal barrier width and height was investigated, using the ideal MHD stability code GATO. A moderate ratio of edge transport barriers (ETB) height to internal transport barriers (ITBs) height is found to be beneficial to MHD stability and the βN is limited by global low n instabilities. For moderate ITB width DB plasmas, if the ETB is weak, the stability is limited by n = 1 (n is the toroidal mode number) global mode; whereas if the ETB is strong it is limited by intermediate-n edge peeling-ballooning modes. Broadening the ITB can improve stability if the ITB half width wi lsim 0.3. For very broad ITB width plasmas the stability is limited by stability to a low n (n > 1) global mode.

  8. Effect of citronella essential oil fractions as oil phase on emulsion stability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Septiyanti, Melati; Meliana, Yenny; Agustian, Egi

    2017-11-01

    The emulsion system consists of water, oil and surfactant. In order to create stable emulsion system, the composition and formulation between water phase, surfactant and oil phase are very important. Essential oil such as citronella oil has been known as active ingredient which has ability as insect repellent. This research studied the effect of citronella oil and its fraction as oil phase on emulsion stability. The cycle stability test was conducted to check the emulsion stability and it was monitored by pH, density, viscosity, particle size, refractive index, zeta potential, physical appearance and FTIR for 4 weeks. Citronellal fraction has better stability compared to citronella oil and rhodinol fraction with slight change of physical and chemical properties before and after the cycle stability test. However, it is need further study to enhance the stability of the emulsion stability for this formulation.

  9. Laser frequency stabilization by combining modulation transfer and frequency modulation spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Zi, Fei; Wu, Xuejian; Zhong, Weicheng; Parker, Richard H; Yu, Chenghui; Budker, Simon; Lu, Xuanhui; Müller, Holger

    2017-04-01

    We present a hybrid laser frequency stabilization method combining modulation transfer spectroscopy (MTS) and frequency modulation spectroscopy (FMS) for the cesium D2 transition. In a typical pump-probe setup, the error signal is a combination of the DC-coupled MTS error signal and the AC-coupled FMS error signal. This combines the long-term stability of the former with the high signal-to-noise ratio of the latter. In addition, we enhance the long-term frequency stability with laser intensity stabilization. By measuring the frequency difference between two independent hybrid spectroscopies, we investigate the short-and long-term stability. We find a long-term stability of 7.8 kHz characterized by a standard deviation of the beating frequency drift over the course of 10 h and a short-term stability of 1.9 kHz characterized by an Allan deviation of that at 2 s of integration time.

  10. On-Line Robust Modal Stability Prediction using Wavelet Processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brenner, Martin J.; Lind, Rick

    1998-01-01

    Wavelet analysis for filtering and system identification has been used to improve the estimation of aeroservoelastic stability margins. The conservatism of the robust stability margins is reduced with parametric and nonparametric time- frequency analysis of flight data in the model validation process. Nonparametric wavelet processing of data is used to reduce the effects of external disturbances and unmodeled dynamics. Parametric estimates of modal stability are also extracted using the wavelet transform. Computation of robust stability margins for stability boundary prediction depends on uncertainty descriptions derived from the data for model validation. The F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle aeroservoelastic flight test data demonstrates improved robust stability prediction by extension of the stability boundary beyond the flight regime. Guidelines and computation times are presented to show the efficiency and practical aspects of these procedures for on-line implementation. Feasibility of the method is shown for processing flight data from time- varying nonstationary test points.

  11. Genetic and environmental continuity in personality development: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Briley, Daniel A; Tucker-Drob, Elliot M

    2014-09-01

    The longitudinal stability of personality is low in childhood but increases substantially into adulthood. Theoretical explanations for this trend differ in the emphasis placed on intrinsic maturation and socializing influences. To what extent does the increasing stability of personality result from the continuity and crystallization of genetically influenced individual differences, and to what extent does the increasing stability of life experiences explain increases in personality trait stability? Behavioral genetic studies, which decompose longitudinal stability into sources associated with genetic and environmental variation, can help to address this question. We aggregated effect sizes from 24 longitudinal behavioral genetic studies containing information on a total of 21,057 sibling pairs from 6 types that varied in terms of genetic relatedness and ranged in age from infancy to old age. A combination of linear and nonlinear meta-analytic regression models were used to evaluate age trends in levels of heritability and environmentality, stabilities of genetic and environmental effects, and the contributions of genetic and environmental effects to overall phenotypic stability. Both the genetic and environmental influences on personality increase in stability with age. The contribution of genetic effects to phenotypic stability is moderate in magnitude and relatively constant with age, in part because of small-to-moderate decreases in the heritability of personality over child development that offset increases in genetic stability. In contrast, the contribution of environmental effects to phenotypic stability increases from near zero in early childhood to moderate in adulthood. The life-span trend of increasing phenotypic stability, therefore, predominantly results from environmental mechanisms. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

  12. Genetic and Environmental Continuity in Personality Development: A Meta-Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Briley, Daniel A.; Tucker-Drob, Elliot M.

    2014-01-01

    The longitudinal stability of personality is low in childhood, but increases substantially into adulthood. Theoretical explanations for this trend differ in the emphasis placed on intrinsic maturation and socializing influences. To what extent does the increasing stability of personality result from the continuity and crystallization of genetically influenced individual differences, and to what extent does the increasing stability of life experiences explain increases in personality trait stability? Behavioral genetic studies, which decompose longitudinal stability into sources associated with genetic and environmental variation, can help to address this question. We aggregated effect sizes from 24 longitudinal behavioral genetic studies containing information on a total of 21,057 sibling pairs from six types that varied in terms of genetic relatedness and ranged in age from infancy to old age. A combination of linear and nonlinear meta-analytic regression models were used to evaluate age-trends in levels of heritability and environmentality, stabilities of genetic and environmental effects, and the contributions of genetic and environmental effects to overall phenotypic stability. Both the genetic and environmental influences on personality increase in stability with age. The contribution of genetic effects to phenotypic stability is moderate in magnitude and relatively constant with age, in part because of small-to-moderate decreases in the heritability of personality over child development that offset increases in genetic stability. In contrast, the contribution of environmental effects to phenotypic stability increases from near-zero in early childhood to moderate in adulthood. The lifespan trend of increasing phenotypic stability, therefore, predominantly results from environmental mechanisms. PMID:24956122

  13. Regularized magnetotelluric inversion based on a minimum support gradient stabilizing functional

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiang, Yang; Yu, Peng; Zhang, Luolei; Feng, Shaokong; Utada, Hisashi

    2017-11-01

    Regularization is used to solve the ill-posed problem of magnetotelluric inversion usually by adding a stabilizing functional to the objective functional that allows us to obtain a stable solution. Among a number of possible stabilizing functionals, smoothing constraints are most commonly used, which produce spatially smooth inversion results. However, in some cases, the focused imaging of a sharp electrical boundary is necessary. Although past works have proposed functionals that may be suitable for the imaging of a sharp boundary, such as minimum support and minimum gradient support (MGS) functionals, they involve some difficulties and limitations in practice. In this paper, we propose a minimum support gradient (MSG) stabilizing functional as another possible choice of focusing stabilizer. In this approach, we calculate the gradient of the model stabilizing functional of the minimum support, which affects both the stability and the sharp boundary focus of the inversion. We then apply the discrete weighted matrix form of each stabilizing functional to build a unified form of the objective functional, allowing us to perform a regularized inversion with variety of stabilizing functionals in the same framework. By comparing the one-dimensional and two-dimensional synthetic inversion results obtained using the MSG stabilizing functional and those obtained using other stabilizing functionals, we demonstrate that the MSG results are not only capable of clearly imaging a sharp geoelectrical interface but also quite stable and robust. Overall good performance in terms of both data fitting and model recovery suggests that this stabilizing functional is effective and useful in practical applications.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

  14. Experimental and theoretical studies of the colloidal stability of nanoparticles-a general interpretation based on stability maps.

    PubMed

    Segets, Doris; Marczak, Renata; Schäfer, Stefan; Paula, Carolin; Gnichwitz, Jan-Frederik; Hirsch, Andreas; Peukert, Wolfgang

    2011-06-28

    The current work addresses the understanding of the stabilization of nanoparticles in suspension. Specifically, we study ZnO in ethanol for which the influence of particle size and reactant ratio as well as surface coverage on colloidal stability in dependence of the purification progress was investigated. The results revealed that the well-known ζ-potential determines not only the colloidal stability but also the surface coverage of acetate groups bound to the particle surface. The acetate groups act as molecular spacers between the nanoparticles and prevent agglomeration. Next to DLVO calculations based on the theory of Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey and Overbeek using a core-shell model we find that the stability is better understood in terms of dimensionless numbers which represent attractive forces as well as electrostatic repulsion, steric effects, transport properties, and particle concentration. Evaluating the colloidal stability in dependence of time by means of UV-vis absorption measurements a stability map for ZnO is derived. From this map it becomes clear that the dimensionless steric contribution to colloidal stability scales with a stability parameter including dimensionless repulsion and attraction as well as particle concentration and diffusivity of the particles according to a power law with an exponent of -0.5. Finally, we show that our approach is valid for other stabilizing molecules like cationic dendrons and is generally applicable for a wide range of other material systems within the limitations of vanishing van der Waals forces in refractive index matched situations, vanishing ζ-potential and systems without a stabilizing shell around the particle surface.

  15. Aggregate stability as an indicator of soil erodibility and soil physical quality: review and perspectives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Le Bissonnais, Yves; Chenu, Claire; Darboux, Frédéric; Duval, Odile; Legout, Cédric; Leguédois, Sophie; Gumiere, Silvio

    2010-05-01

    Aggregate breakdown due to water and rain action may cause surface crusting, slumping, a reduction of infiltration and interrill erosion. Aggregate stability determines the capacity of aggregates to resist the effects of water and rainfall. In this paper, we evaluated and reviewed the relevance of an aggregate stability measurement to characterize soil physical properties as well as to analyse the processes involved in these properties. Stability measurement assesses the sensitivity of soil aggregates to various basic disaggregation mechanisms such as slaking, differential swelling, dispersion and mechanical breakdown. It has been showed that aggregate size distributions of structural stability tests matched the size distributions of eroded aggregates under rainfall simulations and that erosion amount was well predicted using aggregate stability indexes. It means stability tests could be used to estimate both the erodibility and the size fractions that are available for crust formation and erosion processes. Several studies showed that organic matter was one of the main soil properties affecting soil stability. However, it has also been showed that aggregate stability of a given soil could vary within a year or between years. The factors controlling such changes have still to be specified. Aggregate stability appears therefore as a complex property, depending both on permanent soil characteristics and on dynamic factors such as the crusting stage, the climate and the biological activity. Despite, and may be, because of this complexity, aggregate stability seems an integrative and powerful indicator of soil physical quality. Future research efforts should look at the causes of short-term changes of structural stability, in order to fully understand all its aspects.

  16. Advances of Researches on Improving the Stability of Foams by Nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, G.; Wang, K. L.; Lu, C. J.

    2017-09-01

    Recently, nano-tech made a change of traditional oil-gas exploration. Considering that foam fluid had a poor stability, investigators proposed to add nanoparticles to stabilize the foam fluid system. This paper described the mechanism of particles to improve the stability of the foam fluid in detail; and emphasized the synergistic effect between nanoparticles and surfactants and its effect on the foaming and foam stability of dispersions; and reviewed the latest applications of foam fluid that was stabilized by nanoparticle in enhancing oil-gas recovery, in which there are analysis that showed that the nanoparticles not only greatly increase the stability of the foam fluid, but also improve the efficiency of foam fluid; and lastly, forecasted the development of nanotechnology in petroleum areas.

  17. Polymer Stabilization of Liquid-Crystal Blue Phase II toward Photonic Crystals.

    PubMed

    Jo, Seong-Yong; Jeon, Sung-Wook; Kim, Byeong-Cheon; Bae, Jae-Hyun; Araoka, Fumito; Choi, Suk-Won

    2017-03-15

    The temperature ranges where a pure simple-cubic blue phase (BPII) emerges are quite narrow compared to the body-centered-cubic BP (BPI) such that the polymer stabilization of BPII is much more difficult. Hence, a polymer-stabilized BPII possessing a wide temperature range has been scarcely reported. Here, we fabricate a polymer-stabilized BPII over a temperature range of 50 °C including room temperature. The fabricated polymer-stabilized BPII is confirmed via polarized optical microscopy, Bragg reflection, and Kossel diagram observations. Furthermore, we demonstrate reflective BP liquid-crystal devices utilizing the reflectance-voltage performance as a potential application of the polymer-stabilized BPII. Our work demonstrates the possibility of practical application of the polymer-stabilized BPII to photonic crystals.

  18. Role of anisotropy in determining stability of electrodeposition at solid-solid interfaces

    DOE PAGES

    Ahmad, Zeeshan; Viswanathan, Venkatasubramanian

    2017-10-24

    Here, we investigate the stability of electrodeposition at solid-solid interfaces for materials exhibiting an anisotropic mechanical response. The stability of electrodeposition or resistance to the formation of dendrites is studied within a linear stability analysis. The deformation and stress equations are solved using the Stroh formalism and faithfully recover the boundary conditions at the interface. The stability parameter is used to quantify the stability of different solid-solid interfaces incorporating the full anisotropy of the elastic tensor of the two materials. Our results show a high degree of variability in the stability parameter depending on the crystallographic orientation of the solidsmore » in contact, and point to opportunities for exploiting this effect in developing Li metal anodes.« less

  19. 47 CFR 27.54 - Frequency stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Frequency stability. 27.54 Section 27.54 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES MISCELLANEOUS WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES Technical Standards § 27.54 Frequency stability. The frequency stability shall be...

  20. 47 CFR 27.54 - Frequency stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Frequency stability. 27.54 Section 27.54 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES MISCELLANEOUS WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES Technical Standards § 27.54 Frequency stability. The frequency stability shall be...

  1. Use of soil stabilizers on highway shoulders.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2005-01-01

    This study evaluated soil additives as stabilizers for aggregate and topsoil shoulders. Its purpose was to determine (1) the effect soil stabilizers have on the strength and stability of soil shoulders, and (2) the costs and benefits of using stabili...

  2. Effect of Ionic Soil Stabilizers on Soil-Water Characteristic of Special Clay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cui, D.; Xiang, W.

    2011-12-01

    The engineering properties of special clay are conventionally improved through the use of chemical additive such as ionic soil stabilizer (ISS). Such special clays are often referred to as stabilized or treated clays. The soil-water characteristic curves (SWCC) of special clays from Henan province and Hubei province were measured both in natural and stabilized conditions using the pressure plate apparatus in the suction range of 0-500 kPa. The SWCC results are used to interpret the special clays behavior due to stabilizer treatment. In addition, relationships were developed between the basic clay and stabilized properties such as specific surface area and pore size distribution. The analysis showed that specific surface area decreases, cumulative pore volume and average pore size diameter decrease, dehydration rate slows and the thickness of water film thins after treatment with Ionic Soil Stabilizer. The research data and interpretation analysis presented here can be extended to understand the water film change behaviors influencing the mechanical and physical properties of stabilized special clay soils. KEY WORDS: ionic soil stabilizer, special clay, pore size diameter, specific surface area, soil water characteristic curve, water film

  3. Basic principles of stability.

    PubMed

    Egan, William; Schofield, Timothy

    2009-11-01

    An understanding of the principles of degradation, as well as the statistical tools for measuring product stability, is essential to management of product quality. Key to this is management of vaccine potency. Vaccine shelf life is best managed through determination of a minimum potency release requirement, which helps assure adequate potency throughout expiry. Use of statistical tools such a least squares regression analysis should be employed to model potency decay. The use of such tools provides incentive to properly design vaccine stability studies, while holding stability measurements to specification presents a disincentive for collecting valuable data. The laws of kinetics such as Arrhenius behavior help practitioners design effective accelerated stability programs, which can be utilized to manage stability after a process change. Design of stability studies should be carefully considered, with an eye to minimizing the variability of the stability parameter. In the case of measuring the degradation rate, testing at the beginning and the end of the study improves the precision of this estimate. Additional design considerations such as bracketing and matrixing improve the efficiency of stability evaluation of vaccines.

  4. 46 CFR 170.160 - Specific applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ...) A vessel that performs one of the simplified stability proof tests described in subpart C of part... COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SUBDIVISION AND STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Intact Stability Criteria § 170.160 Specific applicability. (a) Except...

  5. 46 CFR 170.160 - Specific applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ...) A vessel that performs one of the simplified stability proof tests described in subpart C of part... COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SUBDIVISION AND STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Intact Stability Criteria § 170.160 Specific applicability. (a) Except...

  6. 46 CFR 170.160 - Specific applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ...) A vessel that performs one of the simplified stability proof tests described in subpart C of part... COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SUBDIVISION AND STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Intact Stability Criteria § 170.160 Specific applicability. (a) Except...

  7. 46 CFR 170.160 - Specific applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ...) A vessel that performs one of the simplified stability proof tests described in subpart C of part... COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SUBDIVISION AND STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Intact Stability Criteria § 170.160 Specific applicability. (a) Except...

  8. Development of LRFD resistance factors for mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-12-01

    Over 100 centrifuge tests were conducted to assess Load and Resistance Factor : Design (LRFD) resistance factors for external stability of Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls : founded on granular soils. In the case of sliding stability, the te...

  9. China’s Currency: A Summary of the Economic Issues

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-11-20

    policy is not meant to favor exports over imports, but instead to foster economic stability through currency stability, as many other countries do...farmers (due to lower-priced imports). Chinese officials view economic stability as critical to sustaining political stability; they fear an...consumption and the development of rural areas, but they claim they want to proceed at a gradual pace to ensure economic stability . These concerns have

  10. China’s Currency: A Summary of the Economic Issues

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-01-29

    that its currency policy is not meant to favor exports over imports, but instead to foster economic stability through currency stability, as many...have on farmers (due to lower-priced imports). Chinese officials view economic stability as critical to sustaining political stability; they fear an...domestic consumption and the development of rural areas, but they claim they want to proceed at a gradual pace to ensure economic stability . These

  11. Stability of local anesthetics in the dental cartridge.

    PubMed

    Hondrum, S O; Seng, G F; Rebert, N W

    1993-01-01

    Recent manufacturer recalls of local anesthetics have emphasized the problems with storage stability. This article reviews the principles of drug stability, mechanisms of degradation of commonly used vasoconstrictors, research on the stability of commercially produced local anesthetic preparations, and possible effects of the container-closure system. The review concludes with a list of practical and clinical suggestions on how to minimize storage stability problems with dental local anesthetics.

  12. [Study on stability of curcumine, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin].

    PubMed

    Han, Gang; Cui, Jing-jing; Bi, Rui; Zhao, Lin-lin; Zhang, Wei-guo

    2008-11-01

    To investigate the stability of curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin in different buffer solution. To determine concentration of curcumin by HPLC when added curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin into the buffer solution the equation of degradation was established. The sequence of stability are bisdemethoxycurcumin > or = demethoxycurcumin > or =curcumin at the same condition. The demethoxycurcumin can stabilize curcumin more strong than the others. The demethoxycurcumin is a nature stabilizing agent for curcumin.

  13. Further Results on Finite-Time Partial Stability and Stabilization. Applications to Nonlinear Control Systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jammazi, Chaker

    2009-03-05

    The paper gives Lyapunov type sufficient conditions for partial finite-time and asymptotic stability in which some state variables converge to zero while the rest converge to constant values that possibly depend on the initial conditions. The paper then presents partially asymptotically stabilizing controllers for many nonlinear control systems for which continuous asymptotically stabilizing (in the usual sense) controllers are known not to exist.

  14. Stressed Stability Techniques for Adjuvant Formulations.

    PubMed

    Hasija, Manvi; Sheung, Anthony; Rahman, Nausheen; Ausar, Salvador F

    2017-01-01

    Stressed stability testing is crucial to the understanding of mechanisms of degradation and the effects of external stress factors on adjuvant stability. These studies vastly help the development of stability indicating tests and the selection of stabilizing conditions for long term storage. In this chapter, we provide detailed protocols for the execution of forced degradation experiments that evaluate the robustness of adjuvant formulations against thermal, mechanical, freeze-thawing, and photo stresses.

  15. Relationships Between Emotional Stability, Psychosocial Mentoring Support and Career Resilience

    PubMed Central

    Arora, Ridhi; Rangnekar, Santosh

    2015-01-01

    This study empirically investigates the mediating role of psychosocial mentoring support on emotional stability personality disposition and career resilience relationship. In addition, this research also focuses on estimating the interrelationship between emotional stability, psychosocial mentoring support and career resilience. The results show substantive direct relations between emotional stability and psychosocial mentoring as well as between emotional stability and career resilience. Psychosocial mentoring is also seen as a significant predictor of career resilience. Further, it mediates partially the relationship between emotional stability personality and career resilience. Future and practical implications of research have also been provided. PMID:27247639

  16. A Crank–Nicolson Leapfrog stabilization: Unconditional stability and two applications

    DOE PAGES

    Jiang, Nan; Kubacki, Michaela; Layton, William; ...

    2014-12-09

    We propose and analyze a linear stabilization of the Crank-Nicolson Leapfrog (CNLF) method that removes all time step/CFL conditions for stability and controls the unstable mode. It also increases the SPD part of the linear system to be solved at each time step while increasing solution accuracy. We give a proof of unconditional stability of the method as well as a proof of unconditional, asymptotic stability of both the stable and unstable modes. As a result, we illustrate two applications of the method: uncoupling groundwater-surface water flows and Stokes flow plus a Coriolis term.

  17. Nitride stabilized core/shell nanoparticles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kuttiyiel, Kurian Abraham; Sasaki, Kotaro; Adzic, Radoslav R.

    Nitride stabilized metal nanoparticles and methods for their manufacture are disclosed. In one embodiment the metal nanoparticles have a continuous and nonporous noble metal shell with a nitride-stabilized non-noble metal core. The nitride-stabilized core provides a stabilizing effect under high oxidizing conditions suppressing the noble metal dissolution during potential cycling. The nitride stabilized nanoparticles may be fabricated by a process in which a core is coated with a shell layer that encapsulates the entire core. Introduction of nitrogen into the core by annealing produces metal nitride(s) that are less susceptible to dissolution during potential cycling under high oxidizing conditions.

  18. Summation by parts, projections, and stability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Olsson, Pelle

    1993-01-01

    We have derived stability results for high-order finite difference approximations of mixed hyperbolic-parabolic initial-boundary value problems (IBVP). The results are obtained using summation by parts and a new way of representing general linear boundary conditions as an orthogonal projection. By slightly rearranging the analytic equations, we can prove strict stability for hyperbolic-parabolic IBVP. Furthermore, we generalize our technique so as to yield strict stability on curvilinear non-smooth domains in two space dimensions. Finally, we show how to incorporate inhomogeneous boundary data while retaining strict stability. Using the same procedure one can prove strict stability in higher dimensions as well.

  19. Dynamic Stabilization of a Quantum Many-Body Spin System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoang, T. M.; Gerving, C. S.; Land, B. J.; Anquez, M.; Hamley, C. D.; Chapman, M. S.

    2013-08-01

    We demonstrate dynamic stabilization of a strongly interacting quantum spin system realized in a spin-1 atomic Bose-Einstein condensate. The spinor Bose-Einstein condensate is initialized to an unstable fixed point of the spin-nematic phase space, where subsequent free evolution gives rise to squeezing and quantum spin mixing. To stabilize the system, periodic microwave pulses are applied that rotate the spin-nematic many-body fluctuations and limit their growth. The stability diagram for the range of pulse periods and phase shifts that stabilize the dynamics is measured and compares well with a stability analysis.

  20. Climate variability decreases species richness and community stability in a temperate grassland.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yunhai; Loreau, Michel; He, Nianpeng; Wang, Junbang; Pan, Qingmin; Bai, Yongfei; Han, Xingguo

    2018-06-26

    Climate change involves modifications in both the mean and the variability of temperature and precipitation. According to global warming projections, both the magnitude and the frequency of extreme weather events are increasing, thereby increasing climate variability. The previous studies have reported that climate warming tends to decrease biodiversity and the temporal stability of community primary productivity (i.e., community stability), but the effects of the variability of temperature and precipitation on biodiversity, community stability, and their relationship have not been clearly explored. We used a long-term (from 1982 to 2014) field data set from a temperate grassland in northern China to explore the effects of the variability of mean temperature and total precipitation on species richness, community stability, and their relationship. Results showed that species richness promoted community stability through increases in asynchronous dynamics across species (i.e., species asynchrony). Both species richness and species asynchrony were positively associated with the residuals of community stability after controlling for its dependence on the variability of mean temperature and total precipitation. Furthermore, the variability of mean temperature reduced species richness, while the variability of total precipitation decreased species asynchrony and community stability. Overall, the present study revealed that species richness and species asynchrony promoted community stability, but increased climate variability may erode these positive effects and thereby threaten community stability.

  1. Statistical evaluation for stability studies under stress storage conditions.

    PubMed

    Gil-Alegre, M E; Bernabeu, J A; Camacho, M A; Torres-Suarez, A I

    2001-11-01

    During the pharmaceutical development of a new drug, it is necessary to select as soon as possible the formulation with the best stability characteristics. The current International Commission for Harmonisation (ICH) regulations regarding stability testing requirements for a Registration Application provide the stress testing conditions with the aim of assessing the effect of severe conditions on the drug product. In practice, the well-known Arrhenius theory is still used to make a rapid stability prediction, to estimate a drug product shelf life during early stages of its pharmaceutical development. In this work, both the planning of a stress stability study to obtain a correct stability prediction from a temperature extrapolation and the suitable data treatment to discern the reliability of the stability results are discussed. The study was focused on the early formulation step of a very stable drug, Mitonafide (antineoplastic agent), formulated in a parenteral solution and in tablets. It was observed, for the solid system, that the extrapolated results using Arrhenius theory might be statistically good, but far from the real situation if the stability study is not designed in a correct way. The statistical data treatment and the stress-stability test proposed in this work are suitable to make a reliable stability prediction of different formulations with the same drug, within its pharmaceutical development.

  2. Solving the stability-accuracy-diversity dilemma of recommender systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hou, Lei; Liu, Kecheng; Liu, Jianguo; Zhang, Runtong

    2017-02-01

    Recommender systems are of great significance in predicting the potential interesting items based on the target user's historical selections. However, the recommendation list for a specific user has been found changing vastly when the system changes, due to the unstable quantification of item similarities, which is defined as the recommendation stability problem. To improve the similarity stability and recommendation stability is crucial for the user experience enhancement and the better understanding of user interests. While the stability as well as accuracy of recommendation could be guaranteed by recommending only popular items, studies have been addressing the necessity of diversity which requires the system to recommend unpopular items. By ranking the similarities in terms of stability and considering only the most stable ones, we present a top- n-stability method based on the Heat Conduction algorithm (denoted as TNS-HC henceforth) for solving the stability-accuracy-diversity dilemma. Experiments on four benchmark data sets indicate that the TNS-HC algorithm could significantly improve the recommendation stability and accuracy simultaneously and still retain the high-diversity nature of the Heat Conduction algorithm. Furthermore, we compare the performance of the TNS-HC algorithm with a number of benchmark recommendation algorithms. The result suggests that the TNS-HC algorithm is more efficient in solving the stability-accuracy-diversity triple dilemma of recommender systems.

  3. A comparison of biophysical characterization techniques in predicting monoclonal antibody stability.

    PubMed

    Thiagarajan, Geetha; Semple, Andrew; James, Jose K; Cheung, Jason K; Shameem, Mohammed

    2016-01-01

    With the rapid growth of biopharmaceutical product development, knowledge of therapeutic protein stability has become increasingly important. We evaluated assays that measure solution-mediated interactions and key molecular characteristics of 9 formulated monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics, to predict their stability behavior. Colloidal interactions, self-association propensity and conformational stability were measured using effective surface charge via zeta potential, diffusion interaction parameter (kD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. The molecular features of all 9 mAbs were compared to their stability at accelerated (25°C and 40°C) and long-term storage conditions (2-8°C) as measured by size exclusion chromatography. At accelerated storage conditions, the majority of the mAbs in this study degraded via fragmentation rather than aggregation. Our results show that colloidal stability, self-association propensity and conformational characteristics (exposed tryptophan) provide reasonable prediction of accelerated stability, with limited predictive value at 2-8°C stability. While no correlations to stability behavior were observed with onset-of-melting temperatures or domain unfolding temperatures, by DSC, melting of the Fab domain with the CH2 domain suggests lower stability at stressed conditions. The relevance of identifying appropriate biophysical assays based on the primary degradation pathways is discussed.

  4. Box-Behnken study design for optimization of bicalutamide-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier: stability assessment.

    PubMed

    Kudarha, Ritu; Dhas, Namdev L; Pandey, Abhijeet; Belgamwar, Veena S; Ige, Pradum P

    2015-01-01

    Bicalutamide (BCM) is an anti-androgen drug used to treat prostate cancer. In this study, nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) were chosen as a carrier for delivery of BCM using Box-Behnken (BB) design for optimizing various quality attributes such as particle size and entrapment efficiency which is very critical for efficient drug delivery and high therapeutic efficacy. Stability of formulated NLCs was assessed with respect to storage stability, pH stability, hemolysis, protein stability, serum protein stability and accelerated stability. Hot high-pressure homogenizer was utilized for formulation of BCM-loaded NLCs. In BB response surface methodology, total lipid, % liquid lipid and % soya lecithin was selected as independent variable and particle size and %EE as dependent variables. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was done for morphological study of NLCs. Differential scanning calorimeter and X-ray diffraction study were used to study crystalline and amorphous behavior. Analysis of design space showed that process was robust with the particle size less than 200 nm and EE up to 78%. Results of stability studies showed stability of carrier in various storage conditions and in different pH condition. From all the above study, it can be concluded that NLCs may be suitable carrier for the delivery of BCM with respect to stability and quality attributes.

  5. The role of silica nanoparticles on long-term room-temperature stabilization of water-in-oil emulsions containing microalgae.

    PubMed

    Fernández, L; Scher, H; VanderGheynst, J S

    2015-12-01

    Prior research has demonstrated that microalgae can be stored for extended periods of time at room temperature in water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions stabilized by surface modified silica nanoparticles. However, little research has been done to examine the impact of nanoparticle concentration on emulsion stability. Such information is important for large-scale production of emulsions for microalgae storage and delivery. Studies were done to examine the impact of silica nanoparticle concentration on emulsion stability and identify the lower limit for nanoparticle concentration. Emulsion physical stability was determined using internal phase droplet size measurements and biological stability was evaluated using cell density measurements. The results demonstrate that nanoparticle concentrations as low as 0·5wt% in the oil phase can be used without significant losses in emulsion stability and microalgae viability. Stabilization technologies are needed for long-term storage and application of microalgae in agricultural-scale systems. While prior work has demonstrated that water-in-oil emulsions containing silica nanoparticles offer a promising solution for long-term microalgae storage at room temperature, little research has been done to examine the impact of nanoparticle concentration on emulsion stability. Here, we show the effects of silica nanoparticle concentration on maintaining physical stability of emulsions and sustaining viable cells. The results enable informed decisions to be made regarding production of emulsions containing silica nanoparticles and associated impacts on stabilization of microalgae. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  6. Biodiversity increases functional and compositional resistance, but decreases resilience in phytoplankton communities.

    PubMed

    Baert, Jan M; De Laender, Frederik; Sabbe, Koen; Janssen, Colin R

    2016-12-01

    There is now ample evidence that biodiversity stabilizes aggregated ecosystem functions, such as primary production, in changing environments. In primary producer systems, this stabilizing effect is found to be driven by higher functional resistance (i.e., reduced changes in functions by environmental changes) rather than through higher functional resilience (i.e., rapid recovery following environmental changes) in more diverse systems. The stability of aggregated ecosystem functions directly depends on changes in species composition and by consequence their functional contributions to ecosystem functions. Still, it remains only theoretically explored how biodiversity can stabilize ecosystem functions by affecting compositional stability. Here, we demonstrate how biodiversity effects on compositional stability drive biodiversity effects on functional stability in diatom communities. In a microcosm experiment, we exposed 39 communities of five different levels of species richness (1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 species) to three concentrations of a chemical stressor (0, 25, and 250 μg/L atrazine) for four weeks, after which all communities were transferred to atrazine-free medium for three more weeks. Biodiversity simultaneously increased, increasing functional and compositional resistance, but decreased functional and compositional resilience. These results confirm the theoretically proposed link between biodiversity effects on functional and compositional stability in primary producer systems, and provide a mechanistic underpinning for observed biodiversity-stability relationships. Finally, we discuss how higher compositional stability can be expected to become increasingly important in stabilizing ecosystem functions under field conditions when multiple environmental stressors fluctuate simultaneously. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

  7. The effectiveness of core stabilization exercise in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: A randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Gür, Gözde; Ayhan, Cigdem; Yakut, Yavuz

    2017-06-01

    Core stabilization training is used to improve postural balance in musculoskeletal problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of stabilization training in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. A randomized controlled trial, pretest-posttest design. In total, 25 subjects with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were randomly divided into two groups: stabilization group ( n = 12) and control group ( n = 13). The stabilization group received core stabilization in addition to traditional rehabilitation, and the control group received traditional rehabilitation for 10 weeks. Assessment included Cobb's angle on radiograph, apical vertebral rotation in Adam's test, trunk asymmetry (Posterior Trunk Symmetry Index), cosmetic trunk deformity (Trunk Appearance Perception Scale), and quality of life (Scoliosis Research Society-22 questionnaire). Inter-group comparisons showed significantly greater improvements in the mean change in lumbar apical vertebral rotation degree and the pain domain of Scoliosis Research Society-22 in the stabilization group than those in the control group ( p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed for other measurements between the groups; however, trends toward greater improvement were observed in the stabilization group. Core stabilization training in addition to traditional exercises was more effective than traditional exercises alone in the correction of vertebral rotation and reduction of pain in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Clinical relevance Stabilization exercises are more effective in reducing rotation deformity and pain than traditional exercises in the conservative rehabilitation of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. These improvements suggest that stabilization training should be added to rehabilitation programs in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

  8. NREL, Duke Energy Explore Smart Inverters for Grid Stability | Energy

    Science.gov Websites

    Stability NREL, Duke Energy Explore Smart Inverters for Grid Stability NREL is working with Duke Energy and Alstom Grid to explore ways that smart inverters can increase grid stability. Using data from Duke Energy

  9. 46 CFR 170.190 - Stability test procedure modifications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Stability test procedure modifications. 170.190 Section 170.190 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SUBDIVISION AND STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Determination of Lightweight Displacement and Centers of...

  10. 46 CFR 170.190 - Stability test procedure modifications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Stability test procedure modifications. 170.190 Section 170.190 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SUBDIVISION AND STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Determination of Lightweight Displacement and Centers of...

  11. 46 CFR 170.190 - Stability test procedure modifications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Stability test procedure modifications. 170.190 Section 170.190 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SUBDIVISION AND STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Determination of Lightweight Displacement and Centers of...

  12. 46 CFR 170.190 - Stability test procedure modifications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Stability test procedure modifications. 170.190 Section 170.190 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SUBDIVISION AND STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Determination of Lightweight Displacement and Centers of...

  13. 46 CFR 170.190 - Stability test procedure modifications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Stability test procedure modifications. 170.190 Section 170.190 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SUBDIVISION AND STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Determination of Lightweight Displacement and Centers of...

  14. Stochastic stability of parametrically excited random systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Labou, M.

    2004-01-01

    Multidegree-of-freedom dynamic systems subjected to parametric excitation are analyzed for stochastic stability. The variation of excitation intensity with time is described by the sum of a harmonic function and a stationary random process. The stability boundaries are determined by the stochastic averaging method. The effect of random parametric excitation on the stability of trivial solutions of systems of differential equations for the moments of phase variables is studied. It is assumed that the frequency of harmonic component falls within the region of combination resonances. Stability conditions for the first and second moments are obtained. It turns out that additional parametric excitation may have a stabilizing or destabilizing effect, depending on the values of certain parameters of random excitation. As an example, the stability of a beam in plane bending is analyzed.

  15. Conceptualization of preferential flow for hillslope stability assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kukemilks, Karlis; Wagner, Jean-Frank; Saks, Tomas; Brunner, Philip

    2018-03-01

    This study uses two approaches to conceptualize preferential flow with the goal to investigate their influence on hillslope stability. Synthetic three-dimensional hydrogeological models using dual-permeability and discrete-fracture conceptualization were subsequently integrated into slope stability simulations. The slope stability simulations reveal significant differences in slope stability depending on the preferential flow conceptualization applied, despite similar small-scale hydrogeological responses of the system. This can be explained by a local-scale increase of pore-water pressures observed in the scenario with discrete fractures. The study illustrates the critical importance of correctly conceptualizing preferential flow for slope stability simulations. It further demonstrates that the combination of the latest generation of physically based hydrogeological models with slope stability simulations allows for improvement to current modeling approaches through more complex consideration of preferential flow paths.

  16. Cold denaturation as a tool to measure protein stability

    PubMed Central

    Sanfelice, Domenico; Temussi, Piero Andrea

    2016-01-01

    Protein stability is an important issue for the interpretation of a wide variety of biological problems but its assessment is at times difficult. The most common parameter employed to describe protein stability is the temperature of melting, at which the populations of folded and unfolded species are identical. This parameter may yield ambiguous results. It would always be preferable to measure the whole stability curve. The calculation of this curve is greatly facilitated whenever it is possible to observe cold denaturation. Using Yfh1, one of the few proteins whose cold denaturation occurs at neutral pH and low ionic strength, we could measure the variation of its full stability curve under several environmental conditions. Here we show the advantages of gauging stability as a function of external variables using stability curves. PMID:26026885

  17. Imidazolium Cations with Exceptional Alkaline Stability: A Systematic Study of Structure–Stability Relationships

    DOE PAGES

    Hugar, Kristina M.; Kostalik, IV, Henry A.; Coates, Geoffrey W.

    2015-06-11

    Highly base-stable cationic moieties are a critical component of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) in alkaline fuel cells (AFCs); however, the commonly employed organic cations have limited alkaline stability. To address this problem, we synthesized and characterized the stability of a series of imidazolium cations in 1, 2, or 5 M KOH/CD 3OH at 80 °C, systematically evaluating the impact of substitution on chemical stability. The substituent identity at each position of the imidazolium ring has a dramatic effect on the overall cation stability. In conclusion, we report imidazolium cations that have the highest alkaline stabilities reported to date, >99% cationmore » remaining after 30 days in 5 M KOH/CD 3OH at 80 °C.« less

  18. Minimally Invasive Repair of Pectus Excavatum Without Bar Stabilizers Using Endo Close.

    PubMed

    Pio, Luca; Carlucci, Marcello; Leonelli, Lorenzo; Erminio, Giovanni; Mattioli, Girolamo; Torre, Michele

    2016-02-01

    Since the introduction of the Nuss technique for pectus excavatum (PE) repair, stabilization of the bar has been a matter of debate and a crucial point for the outcome, as bar dislocation remains one of the most frequent complications. Several techniques have been described, most of them including the use of a metal stabilizer, which, however, can increase morbidity and be difficult to remove. Our study compares bar stabilization techniques in two groups of patients, respectively, with and without the metal stabilizer. A retrospective study on patients affected by PE and treated by the Nuss technique from January 2012 to June 2013 at our institution was performed in order to evaluate the efficacy of metal stabilizers. Group 1 included patients who did not have the metal stabilizer inserted; stabilization was achieved with multiple (at least four) bilateral pericostal Endo Close™ (Auto Suture, US Surgical; Tyco Healthcare Group, Norwalk, CT) sutures. Group 2 included patients who had a metal stabilizer placed because pericostal sutures could not be used bilaterally. We compared the two groups in terms of bar dislocation rate, surgical operative time, and other complications. Statistical analysis was performed with the Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test. Fifty-seven patients were included in the study: 37 in Group 1 and 20 in Group 2. Two patients from Group 2 had a bar dislocation. Statistical analysis showed no difference between the two groups in dislocation rate or other complications. In our experience, the placement of a metal stabilizer did not reduce the rate of bar dislocation. Bar stabilization by the pericostal Endo Close suture technique appears to have no increase in morbidity or migration compared with the metal lateral stabilizer technique.

  19. The efficacy of a supervised and a home-based core strengthening programme in adults with poor core stability: a three-arm randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Chuter, V H; de Jonge, X A K Janse; Thompson, B M; Callister, R

    2015-03-01

    Poor core stability is linked to a range of musculoskeletal pathologies and core-strengthening programmes are widely used as treatment. Treatment outcomes, however, are highly variable, which may be related to the method of delivery of core strengthening programmes. We investigated the effect of identical 8 week core strengthening programmes delivered as either supervised or home-based on measures of core stability. Participants with poor core stability were randomised into three groups: supervised (n=26), home-based (n=26) or control (n=26). Primary outcomes were the Sahrmann test and the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) for dynamic core stability and three endurance tests (side-bridge, flexor and Sorensen) for static core stability. The exercise programme was devised and supervised by an exercise physiologist. Analysis of covariance on the change from baseline over the 8 weeks showed that the supervised group performed significantly better on all core stability measures than both the home-based and control group. The home-based group produced significant improvements compared to the control group in all static core stability tests, but not in most of the dynamic core stability tests (Sahrmann test and two out of three directions of the SEBT). Our results support the use of a supervised core-strengthening programme over a home-based programme to maximise improvements in core stability, especially in its dynamic aspects. Based on our findings in healthy individuals with low core stability, further research is recommended on potential therapeutic benefits of supervised core-strengthening programmes for pathologies associated with low core stability. ACTRN12613000233729. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  20. The influence of hip abductor muscle performance on dynamic postural stability in females with patellofemoral pain.

    PubMed

    Lee, Szu-Ping; Souza, Richard B; Powers, Christopher M

    2012-07-01

    Hip abductors play an important role in maintaining trunk and pelvis stability during unipedal tasks. The purpose of the study was to compare postural stability between individuals with patellofemoral pain (PFP) and pain-free controls. A secondary purpose was to evaluate the effect of a hip stabilizing brace on postural stability. Twenty females with PFP (27.3±6.3 years) and 19 controls (26.1±4.5 years) participated. Each subject performed a unipedal step-down balance task with the stance leg on a force platform from which center of pressure (COP) excursion was recorded. Quantitative COP excursion patterns (mean and peak displacements) were used as measures of postural stability. For subjects with PFP, postural stability also was quantified following the application of a hip stabilizing brace. Hip abductor strength was significantly lower in PFP group compared to the control group (1.39±0.4 vs. 1.62±0.26 N/kg-BW, p=0.046). Peak and mean medial-lateral COP displacements during the balance task were greater in the PFP group (39.8±6.7 vs. 24.3±3.8 mm, p<0.001; 24.7±16.3 vs. 13.5±4.4 mm, p=0.005). Application of the hip stabilizing brace reduced the peak and mean COP displacement (39.8±6.7 vs. 24.7±4.7 mm, p<0.001; 24.7±16.3 vs. 16.8±15.1 mm, p=0.02). Our results demonstrate that females with PFP exhibit impaired medial-lateral postural stability when compared to control subjects. Application of a hip stabilizing brace significantly improved stability to a level comparable to the controls. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. The influence of ship's stability on safety of navigation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanzu-Pazara, R.; Duse; Varsami, C.; Andrei, C.; Dumitrache, R.

    2016-08-01

    Ship's stability is one of the most important and complex concept about safety of ship and safety of navigation and it is governed by maritime law as well as maritime codes. The paper presents the importance of ship's intact stability as part of the general concept of ship's seaworthiness. There is always a correlation between ship’ stability and safety of ship and safety of navigation. Loss of ship's stability is presented as a threat to safety of navigation. We are going to present the causes that lead to ship stability failure and their impact on safety of navigation. A study of various ship stability casualties in heavy weather conditions are going to be presented, the causes are going to be analyzed and the possible ways of stability failures are assessed. Vessel's intact stability is a fundamental component of seaworthiness so it is in the interest of all owners/operators to learn about this topic and ensure that their vessel possesses a satisfactory level of stability in order to ensure its safety as well as that of the people on board the ship. Understanding ship's stability, trim, stress, and the basics of ship's construction is a key to keeping a ship seaworthy. The findings of this study can be beneficial to the maritime safety administrations to adopt decision-making on maritime safety management, but it is also important to carry out statistics and analysis of marine casualties to help to adopt proper safety management measures. Moreover, the study can be a useful guidance for masters and officers on board vessel in order to understand the factors that contribute to ship stability failure during the voyage not only in port during loading operations and to take preventive measures to avoid to put the ship in such a dangerous situations.

  2. Bounded Linear Stability Margin Analysis of Nonlinear Hybrid Adaptive Control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nguyen, Nhan T.; Boskovic, Jovan D.

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents a bounded linear stability analysis for a hybrid adaptive control that blends both direct and indirect adaptive control. Stability and convergence of nonlinear adaptive control are analyzed using an approximate linear equivalent system. A stability margin analysis shows that a large adaptive gain can lead to a reduced phase margin. This method can enable metrics-driven adaptive control whereby the adaptive gain is adjusted to meet stability margin requirements.

  3. Stability in chemical and biological systems: Multistage polyenzymatic reactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Varfolomeev, S. D.; Lukovenkov, A. V.

    2010-08-01

    General principles of the theory of stability of solutions to differential equations are considered. The stability of equations describing the dynamics of changes in reagent concentrations in polyenzymatic biochemical chains is analyzed. Various mechanisms of formation of stable and unstable stationary states are considered, and unbalanced regimes and collapse are analyzed. The influence of systems of toxins and drugs on stability is studied. An interpretation of pathological processes based on stability theory is given.

  4. Stability analysis of multigrid acceleration methods for the solution of partial differential equations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fay, John F.

    1990-01-01

    A calculation is made of the stability of various relaxation schemes for the numerical solution of partial differential equations. A multigrid acceleration method is introduced, and its effects on stability are explored. A detailed stability analysis of a simple case is carried out and verified by numerical experiment. It is shown that the use of multigrids can speed convergence by several orders of magnitude without adversely affecting stability.

  5. Grazing weakens temporal stabilizing effects of diversity in the Eurasian steppe.

    PubMed

    Ren, Haiyan; Taube, Friedhelm; Stein, Claudia; Zhang, Yingjun; Bai, Yongfei; Hu, Shuijin

    2018-01-01

    Many biodiversity experiments have demonstrated that plant diversity can stabilize productivity in experimental grasslands. However, less is known about how diversity-stability relationships are mediated by grazing. Grazing is known for causing species losses, but its effects on plant functional groups (PFGs) composition and species asynchrony, which are closely correlated with ecosystem stability, remain unclear. We conducted a six-year grazing experiment in a semi-arid steppe, using seven levels of grazing intensity (0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, 7.5, and 9.0 sheep per hectare) and two grazing systems (i.e., a traditional, continuous grazing system during the growing period (TGS), and a mixed one rotating grazing and mowing annually (MGS)), to examine the effects of grazing system and grazing intensity on the abundance and composition of PFGs and diversity-stability relationships. Ecosystem stability was similar between mixed and continuous grazing treatments. However, within the two grazing systems, stability was maintained through different pathways, that is, along with grazing intensity, persistence biomass variations in MGS, and compensatory interactions of PFGs in their biomass variations in TGS. Ecosystem temporal stability was not decreased by species loss but rather remain unchanged by the strong compensatory effects between PFGs, or a higher grazing-induced decrease in species asynchrony at higher diversity, and a higher grazing-induced increase in the temporal variation of productivity in diverse communities. Ecosystem stability of aboveground net primary production was not related to species richness in both grazing systems. High grazing intensity weakened the temporal stabilizing effects of diversity in this semi-arid grassland. Our results demonstrate that the productivity of dominant PFGs is more important than species richness for maximizing stability in this system. This study distinguishes grazing intensity and grazing system from diversity effects on the temporal stability, highlighting the need to better understand how grazing regulates ecosystem stability, plant diversity, and their synergic relationships.

  6. Factors influencing the natural regeneration of the pioneering shrub Calligonum mongolicum in sand dune stabilization plantations in arid deserts of northwest China.

    PubMed

    Fan, Baoli; McHugh, Allen David; Guo, Shujiang; Ma, Quanlin; Zhang, Jianhui; Zhang, Xiaojuan; Zhang, Weixing; Du, Juan; Yu, Qiushi; Zhao, Changming

    2018-03-01

    Calligonum mongolicum is a successful pioneer shrub to combat desertification, which is widely used for vegetation restoration in the desert regions of northwest China. In order to reveal the limitations to natural regeneration of C. mongolicum by asexual and sexual reproduction, following the process of sand dune stabilization, we assessed clonal shoots, seedling emergence, soil seed bank density, and soil physical characteristics in mobile and stabilized sand dunes. Controlled field and pot experiments were also conducted to assess germination and seedling emergence in different dune soil types and seed burial depths. The population density of mature C. mongolicum was significantly different after sand dune stabilization. Juvenile density of C. mongolicm was much lower in stabilized sand dunes than mobile sand dune. There was no significant difference in soil seed bank density at three soil depths between mobile and stabilized sand dunes, while the emergence of seedlings in stabilized dunes was much lower than emergence in mobile dunes. There was no clonal propagation found in stabilized dunes, and very few C. mongolicum seedlings were established on stabilized sand dunes. Soil clay and silt content, air-filled porosity, and soil surface compaction were significantly changed from mobile sand dune to stabilized dunes. Seedling emergence of C. mongolicm was highly dependent on soil physical condition. These results indicated that changes in soil physical condition limited clonal propagation and seedling emergence of C. mongolicum in stabilized sand dunes. Seed bank density was not a limiting factor; however, poor seedling establishment limited C. mongolicum's further natural regeneration in stabilized sand dunes. Therefore, clonal propagation may be the most important mode for population expansion in mobile sand dunes. As a pioneer species C. mongolicum is well adapted to propagate in mobile sand dune conditions, it appears unlikely to survive naturally in stabilized sand dune plantations.

  7. Rotordynamic stability problems and solutions in high pressure turbocompressors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schmied, J.

    1989-01-01

    The stability of a high pressure compressor is investigated with special regard to the self-exciting effects in oil seals and labyrinths. It is shown how to stabilize a rotor in spite of these effects and even increase its stability with increasing pressure.

  8. 21 CFR 864.9400 - Stabilized enzyme solution.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Stabilized enzyme solution. 864.9400 Section 864... and Blood Products § 864.9400 Stabilized enzyme solution. (a) Identification. A stabilized enzyme... enzyme solutions include papain, bromelin, ficin, and trypsin. (b) Classification. Class II (performance...

  9. 21 CFR 864.9400 - Stabilized enzyme solution.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Stabilized enzyme solution. 864.9400 Section 864... and Blood Products § 864.9400 Stabilized enzyme solution. (a) Identification. A stabilized enzyme... enzyme solutions include papain, bromelin, ficin, and trypsin. (b) Classification. Class II (performance...

  10. 14 CFR 1310.1 - Purpose and scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Aeronautics and Space AIR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STABILIZATION AIR TRANSPORTATION STABILIZATION BOARD AIR... OF GUARANTEED LOAN § 1310.1 Purpose and scope. This part is issued by the Air Transportation Stabilization Board pursuant to Section 102(c)(2)(B) of the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization...

  11. Process for stabilization of coal liquid fractions

    DOEpatents

    Davies, Geoffrey; El-Toukhy, Ahmed

    1987-01-01

    Coal liquid fractions to be used as fuels are stabilized against gum formation and viscosity increases during storage, permitting the fuel to be burned as is, without further expensive treatments to remove gums or gum-forming materials. Stabilization is accomplished by addition of cyclohexanol or other simple inexpensive secondary and tertiary alcohols, secondary and tertiary amines, and ketones to such coal liquids at levels of 5-25% by weight with respect to the coal liquid being treated. Cyclohexanol is a particularly effective and cost-efficient stabilizer. Other stabilizers are isopropanol, diphenylmethanol, tertiary butanol, dipropylamine, triethylamine, diphenylamine, ethylmethylketone, cyclohexanone, methylphenylketone, and benzophenone. Experimental data indicate that stabilization is achieved by breaking hydrogen bonds between phenols in the coal liquid, thereby preventing or retarding oxidative coupling. In addition, it has been found that coal liquid fractions stabilized according to the invention can be mixed with petroleum-derived liquid fuels to produce mixtures in which gum deposition is prevented or reduced relative to similar mixtures not containing stabilizer.

  12. Recent progress in stabilizing hybrid perovskites for solar cell applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Jianqing; Cai, Xin; Yang, Donghui; Song, Dan; Wang, Jiajia; Jiang, Jinghua; Ma, Aibin; Lv, Shiquan; Hu, Michael Z.; Ni, Chaoying

    2017-07-01

    Hybrid inorganic-organic perovskites have quickly evolved as a promising group of materials for solar cells and optoelectronic applications mainly owing to the inexpensive materials, relatively simple and versatile fabrication and high power conversion efficiency (PCE). The certified energy conversion efficiency for perovskite solar cell (PSC) has reached above 20%, which is compatible to the current best for commercial applications. However, long-term stabilities of the materials and devices remain to be the biggest challenging issue for realistic implementation of the PSCs. This article discusses the key issues related to the stability of perovskite absorbing layer including crystal structural stability, chemical stability under moisture, oxygen, illumination and interface reaction, effects of electron-transporting materials (ETM), hole-transporting materials (HTM), contact electrodes, ion migration and preparation conditions. Towards the end, prospective strategies for improving the stability of PSCs are also briefly discussed and summarized. We focus on recent understanding of the stability of materials and devices and our perspectives about the strategies for the stability improvement.

  13. A Surface-Coupled Optical Trap with 1-bp Precision via Active Stabilization

    PubMed Central

    Okoniewski, Stephen R.; Carter, Ashley R.; Perkins, Thomas T.

    2017-01-01

    Optical traps can measure bead motions with Å-scale precision. However, using this level of precision to infer 1-bp motion of molecular motors along DNA is difficult, since a variety of noise sources degrade instrumental stability. In this chapter, we detail how to improve instrumental stability by (i) minimizing laser pointing, mode, polarization, and intensity noise using an acousto-optical-modulator mediated feedback loop and (ii) minimizing sample motion relative to the optical trap using a 3-axis piezo-electric-stage mediated feedback loop. These active techniques play a critical role in achieving a surface stability of 1 Å in 3D over tens of seconds and a 1-bp stability and precision in a surface-coupled optical trap over a broad bandwidth (Δf = 0.03–2 Hz) at low force (6 pN). These active stabilization techniques can also aid other biophysical assays that would benefit from improved laser stability and/or Å-scale sample stability, such as atomic force microscopy and super-resolution imaging. PMID:27844426

  14. Kinetics and mechanical stability of the fibril state control fibril formation time of polypeptide chains: A computational study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kouza, Maksim; Co, Nguyen Truong; Li, Mai Suan; Kmiecik, Sebastian; Kolinski, Andrzej; Kloczkowski, Andrzej; Buhimschi, Irina Alexandra

    2018-06-01

    Fibril formation resulting from protein misfolding and aggregation is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Despite much progress in the understanding of the protein aggregation process, the factors governing fibril formation rates and fibril stability have not been fully understood. Using lattice models, we have shown that the fibril formation time is controlled by the kinetic stability of the fibril state but not by its energy. Having performed all-atom explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations with the GROMOS43a1 force field for full-length amyloid beta peptides Aβ40 and Aβ42 and truncated peptides, we demonstrated that kinetic stability can be accessed via mechanical stability in such a way that the higher the mechanical stability or the kinetic stability, the faster the fibril formation. This result opens up a new way for predicting fibril formation rates based on mechanical stability that may be easily estimated by steered molecular dynamics.

  15. Factors influencing the stability and type of hydroxyapatite stabilized Pickering emulsion.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Ming; Wang, Ai-Juan; Li, Jun-Ming; Song, Na; Song, Yang; He, Rui

    2017-01-01

    Hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticle stabilized Pickering emulsion was fabricated with poly(l-lactic acid) dissolved in dichloromethane (CH 2 Cl 2 ) solution as oil phase and HAp aqueous dispersion as aqueous phase. Pickering emulsion was cured via in situ solvent evaporation method. Effect of PLLA concentrations, pH value, HAp concentrations, oil-water ratio, emulsification rates and times were studied on emulsion stability and emulsion type, etc. The results indicated emulsion stability increased with the increase of HAp concentration, emulsification rate and time; it is very stable when pH value of aqueous phase was adjusted to 10. Stable W/O and O/W emulsions were fabricated successfully using as-received HAp particles as stabilizer by adjusting the fabricating parameters. The interaction between HAp and PLLA played an important role to stabilize Pickering emulsions. SEM results indicated that both microsphere and porous materials were fabricated using emulsion stabilized by unmodified HAp nanoparticles, implying that both W/O and O/W emulsion type were obtained. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Stability analysis and stabilization strategies for linear supply chains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nagatani, Takashi; Helbing, Dirk

    2004-04-01

    Due to delays in the adaptation of production or delivery rates, supply chains can be dynamically unstable with respect to perturbations in the consumption rate, which is known as “bull-whip effect”. Here, we study several conceivable production strategies to stabilize supply chains, which is expressed by different specifications of the management function controlling the production speed in dependence of the stock levels. In particular, we will investigate, whether the reaction to stock levels of other producers or suppliers has a stabilizing effect. We will also demonstrate that the anticipation of future stock levels can stabilize the supply system, given the forecast horizon τ is long enough. To show this, we derive linear stability conditions and carry out simulations for different control strategies. The results indicate that the linear stability analysis is a helpful tool for the judgement of the stabilization effect, although unexpected deviations can occur in the non-linear regime. There are also signs of phase transitions and chaotic behavior, but this remains to be investigated more thoroughly in the future.

  17. Infrared stabilization of rice bran and its effects on γ-oryzanol content, tocopherols and fatty acid composition.

    PubMed

    Yılmaz, Neşe; Tuncel, Necati Barış; Kocabıyık, Habib

    2014-06-01

    Rice bran is a nutritionally valuable by-product of paddy milling. In this study an experimental infrared (IR) stabilization system was developed to prevent rice bran rancidity. The free fatty acid content of raw and IR-stabilized rice bran samples was monitored every 15 days during 6 months of storage. In addition, energy consumption was determined. The free fatty acid content of rice bran stabilized at 600 W IR power for 5 min remained below 5% for 165 days. No significant change in γ-oryzanol content or fatty acid composition but a significant decrease in tocopherol content was observed in stabilized rice bran compared with raw bran. IR stabilization was found to be comparable to extrusion with regard to energy consumption. IR stabilization was effective in preventing hydrolytic rancidity of rice bran. By optimizing the operational parameters of IR stabilization, this by-product has the potential for use in the food industry in various ways as a value-added commodity. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

  18. Perspectives on the geographic stability and mobility of people in cities

    PubMed Central

    Hanson, Susan

    2005-01-01

    A class of questions in the human environment sciences focuses on the relationship between individual or household behavior and local geographic context. Central to these questions is the nature of people's geographic mobility as well as the duration of their locational stability at varying spatial and temporal scales. The problem for researchers is that the processes of mobility/stability are temporally and spatially dynamic and therefore difficult to measure. Whereas time and space are continuous, analysts must select levels of aggregation for both length of time in place and spatial scale of place that fit with the problem in question. Previous work has emphasized mobility and suppressed stability as an analytic category. I focus here on stability and show how analyzing individuals' stability requires also analyzing their mobility. Through an empirical example centered on the relationship between entrepreneurship and place, I demonstrate how a spotlight on stability illuminates a resolution to the measurement problem by highlighting the interdependence between the time and space dimensions of stability/mobility. PMID:16230616

  19. Combination of sodium caseinate and succinylated alginate improved stability of high fat fish oil-in-water emulsions.

    PubMed

    Yesiltas, Betül; Sørensen, Ann-Dorit Moltke; García-Moreno, Pedro J; Anankanbil, Sampson; Guo, Zheng; Jacobsen, Charlotte

    2018-07-30

    Sodium caseinate (CAS) and commercial sodium alginate (CA), long chain modified alginate (LCMA) or short chain modified alginate (SCMA) were used in combination for emulsifying and stabilizing high fat (50-70%) fish oil-in-water emulsions. Physical (creaming, droplet size, viscosity and protein determination) and oxidative (primary and secondary oxidation products) stabilities of the emulsions were studied during 12 days of storage. Creaming stability was higher for emulsions produced with alginates and CAS compared to emulsions prepared with only CAS. Combined use of CAS + LCMA performed better in terms of physical stability compared to emulsions produced with only CAS. However, the oxidative stability of this emulsion was inferior probably due to the presence of an unsaturated carbon chain in LCMA structure. CAS + SCMA emulsions not only showed better physical stability such as smaller droplet size, lower creaming and higher viscosity, but also had an improved oxidative stability than emulsions produced with only CAS. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Trends in Shoulder Stabilization Techniques Used in the United States Based on a Large Private-Payer Database.

    PubMed

    Riff, Andrew J; Frank, Rachel M; Sumner, Shelby; Friel, Nicole; Bach, Bernard R; Verma, Nikhil N; Romeo, Anthony A

    2017-12-01

    Arthroscopic stabilization is the most broadly used surgical procedure in the United States for management of recurrent shoulder instability. Latarjet coracoid transfer has been considered a salvage surgical procedure for failed arthroscopic repairs or cases of significant glenoid bone loss; however, with recent literature suggesting reduced risk of recurrent instability with Latarjet, several surgeons have advocated its broader utilization as a primary operation for treatment of shoulder instability. To determine trends in shoulder stabilization techniques used in the United States. Cross-sectional study. A retrospective analysis of a publicly available national insurance database was performed to identify shoulder stabilization procedures performed over 9 years (2007-2015). The following Current Procedural Terminology codes were searched: 29806 (arthroscopic stabilization), 23455 (open capsulolabral repair), 23466 (open capsular shift), 23462 (Latarjet coracoid transfer), and 23460 (open anterior capsulorrhaphy with other bone block augmentation). Outcomes of interest included (1) trends in the use of each technique throughout the study interval, (2) age and sex distributions of patients undergoing each technique, and (3) regional predilections for the use of each technique. Arthroscopic stabilization was the most broadly used shoulder stabilization procedure in the database (87%), followed by open Bankart (7%), Latarjet (3.2%), open capsular shift (2.6%), and alternative bone block procedure (0.8%). Throughout the study period, the incidence of arthroscopic stabilization and Latarjet increased (8% and 15% per year, respectively); the incidence of open capsular shift remained relatively constant; and the incidence of open Bankart decreased (9% per year). Arthroscopic stabilization, open Bankart, and Latarjet each had similar sex-based distributions (roughly 70% male), while open capsular shift and alternative bone block were relatively more common in females (54% and 50% male, respectively). The incidence of arthroscopic stabilization and Latarjet were greatest in the South and lowest in the Northeast. Arthroscopic stabilization remains the most commonly utilized stabilization technique in the United States. The use of the Latarjet procedure is steadily increasing and now rivals open Bankart stabilization among the most commonly used open stabilization techniques.

  1. Effect of some ultraviolet light absorbers on photo-stabilization of azadirachtin-A.

    PubMed

    Deota, P T; Upadhyay, P R; Patel, K B; Mehta, K J; Varshney, A K; Mehta, M H

    2002-10-01

    The effect of photo-stabilization of Azadirachtin-A (Aza-A) was examined when exposed to sunlight and ultraviolet light in the presence of four structurally different ultraviolet stabilizers namely 4-aminobenzoic acid, 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone, 4,4'-dihydroxybenzophenone and phenyl salicylate. The percentages of Aza-A recovered at different time intervals from slides exposed to different light conditions with and without UV stabilizers as well as kinetic studies indicated that the addition of phenyl salicylate in methanolic solution of Aza-A (in 1:1 mole ratio) provides the best photo-stabilization of Aza-A molecule among the four UV stabilizers studied.

  2. On a program manifold's stability of one contour automatic control systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zumatov, S. S.

    2017-12-01

    Methodology of analysis of stability is expounded to the one contour systems automatic control feedback in the presence of non-linearities. The methodology is based on the use of the simplest mathematical models of the nonlinear controllable systems. Stability of program manifolds of one contour automatic control systems is investigated. The sufficient conditions of program manifold's absolute stability of one contour automatic control systems are obtained. The Hurwitz's angle of absolute stability was determined. The sufficient conditions of program manifold's absolute stability of control systems by the course of plane in the mode of autopilot are obtained by means Lyapunov's second method.

  3. Slope Stability Analysis of Waste Dump in Sandstone Open Pit Osielec

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adamczyk, Justyna; Cała, Marek; Flisiak, Jerzy; Kolano, Malwina; Kowalski, Michał

    2013-03-01

    This paper presents the slope stability analysis for the current as well as projected (final) geometry of waste dump Sandstone Open Pit "Osielec". For the stability analysis six sections were selected. Then, the final geometry of the waste dump was designed and the stability analysis was conducted. On the basis of the analysis results the opportunities to improve the stability of the object were identified. The next issue addressed in the paper was to determine the proportion of the mixture containing mining and processing wastes, for which the waste dump remains stable. Stability calculations were carried out using Janbu method, which belongs to the limit equilibrium methods.

  4. Rotorcraft aeroelastic stability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ormiston, Robert A.; Warmbrodt, William G.; Hodges, Dewey H.; Peters, David A.

    1988-01-01

    Theoretical and experimental developments in the aeroelastic and aeromechanical stability of helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft are addressed. Included are the underlying nonlinear structural mechanics of slender rotating beams, necessary for accurate modeling of elastic cantilever rotor blades, and the development of dynamic inflow, an unsteady aerodynamic theory for low-frequency aeroelastic stability applications. Analytical treatment of isolated rotor stability in hover and forward flight, coupled rotor-fuselage stability in hover and forward flight, and analysis of tilt-rotor dynamic stability are considered. Results of parametric investigations of system behavior are presented, and correlation between theoretical results and experimental data from small and large scale wind tunnel and flight testing are discussed.

  5. Some effects of nonlinear variation in the directional-stability and damping-in-yawing derivatives on the lateral stability of an airplane

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sternfield, Leonard

    1951-01-01

    A theoretical investigation has been made to determine the effect of nonlinear stability derivatives on the lateral stability of an airplane. Motions were calculated on the assumption that the directional-stability and the damping-in-yawing derivatives are functions of the angle of sideslip. The application of the Laplace transform to the calculation of an airplane motion when certain types of nonlinear derivatives are present is described in detail. The types of nonlinearities assumed correspond to the condition in which the values of the directional-stability and damping-in-yawing derivatives are zero for small angle of sideslip.

  6. An analysis of lateral stability in power-off flight with charts for use in design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zimmerman, Charles H

    1937-01-01

    The aerodynamic and mass factors governing lateral stability are discussed and formulas are given for their estimation. Relatively simple relationships between the governing factors and the resulting stability characteristics are presented. A series of charts is included with which approximate stability characteristics may be rapidly estimated. The effects of the various governing factors upon the stability characteristics are discussed in detail. It is pointed out that much additional research is necessary both to correlate stability characteristics with riding, flying, and handling qualities and to provide suitable data for accurate estimates of those characteristics of an airplane while it is in the design stage.

  7. Sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability and stabilization of autonomous fractional order systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lenka, Bichitra Kumar; Banerjee, Soumitro

    2018-03-01

    We discuss the asymptotic stability of autonomous linear and nonlinear fractional order systems where the state equations contain same or different fractional orders which lie between 0 and 2. First, we use the Laplace transform method to derive some sufficient conditions which ensure asymptotic stability of linear fractional order systems. Then by using the obtained results and linearization technique, a stability theorem is presented for autonomous nonlinear fractional order system. Finally, we design a control strategy for stabilization of autonomous nonlinear fractional order systems, and apply the results to the chaotic fractional order Lorenz system in order to verify its effectiveness.

  8. Investigation of biomechanical behavior of lumbar vertebral segments with dynamic stabilization device using finite element approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deoghare, Ashish B.; Kashyap, Siddharth; Padole, Pramod M.

    2013-03-01

    Degenerative disc disease is a major source of lower back pain and significantly alters the biomechanics of the lumbar spine. Dynamic stabilization device is a remedial technique which uses flexible materials to stabilize the affected lumbar region while preserving the natural anatomy of the spine. The main objective of this research work is to investigate the stiffness variation of dynamic stabilization device under various loading conditions under compression, axial rotation and flexion. Three dimensional model of the two segment lumbar spine is developed using computed tomography (CT) scan images. The lumbar structure developed is analyzed in ANSYS workbench. Two types of dynamic stabilization are considered: one with stabilizing device as pedicle instrumentation and second with stabilization device inserted around the inter-vertebral disc. Analysis suggests that proper positioning of the dynamic stabilization device is of paramount significance prior to the surgery. Inserting the device in the posterior region indicates the adverse effects as it shows increase in the deformation of the inter-vertebral disc. Analysis executed by positioning stabilizing device around the inter-vertebral disc yields better result for various stiffness values under compression and other loadings. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  9. The Self-esteem Stability Scale (SESS) for Cross-Sectional Direct Assessment of Self-esteem Stability

    PubMed Central

    Altmann, Tobias; Roth, Marcus

    2018-01-01

    Self-esteem stability describes fluctuations in the level of self-esteem experienced by individuals over a brief period of time. In recent decades, self-esteem stability has repeatedly been shown to be an important variable affecting psychological functioning. However, measures of self-esteem stability are few and lacking in validity. In this paper, we present the Self-Esteem Stability Scale (SESS), a unidimensional and very brief scale to directly assess self-esteem stability. In four studies (total N = 826), we describe the development of the SESS and present evidence for its validity with respect to individual outcomes (life satisfaction, neuroticism, and vulnerable narcissism) and dyadic outcomes (relationship satisfaction in self- and partner ratings) through direct comparisons with existing measures. The new SESS proved to be a stronger predictor than the existing scales and had incremental validity over and above self-esteem level. The results also showed that all cross-sectional measures of self-esteem stability were only moderately associated with variability in self-esteem levels assessed longitudinally with multiple administrations of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. We discuss this validity issue, arguing that direct and indirect assessment approaches measure relevant, yet different aspects of self-esteem stability. PMID:29487551

  10. The Self-esteem Stability Scale (SESS) for Cross-Sectional Direct Assessment of Self-esteem Stability.

    PubMed

    Altmann, Tobias; Roth, Marcus

    2018-01-01

    Self-esteem stability describes fluctuations in the level of self-esteem experienced by individuals over a brief period of time. In recent decades, self-esteem stability has repeatedly been shown to be an important variable affecting psychological functioning. However, measures of self-esteem stability are few and lacking in validity. In this paper, we present the Self-Esteem Stability Scale (SESS), a unidimensional and very brief scale to directly assess self-esteem stability. In four studies (total N = 826), we describe the development of the SESS and present evidence for its validity with respect to individual outcomes (life satisfaction, neuroticism, and vulnerable narcissism) and dyadic outcomes (relationship satisfaction in self- and partner ratings) through direct comparisons with existing measures. The new SESS proved to be a stronger predictor than the existing scales and had incremental validity over and above self-esteem level. The results also showed that all cross-sectional measures of self-esteem stability were only moderately associated with variability in self-esteem levels assessed longitudinally with multiple administrations of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. We discuss this validity issue, arguing that direct and indirect assessment approaches measure relevant, yet different aspects of self-esteem stability.

  11. Scale dependence of the diversity-stability relationship in a temperate grassland.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yunhai; He, Nianpeng; Loreau, Michel; Pan, Qingmin; Han, Xingguo

    2018-05-01

    A positive relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem stability has been reported in many ecosystems; however, it has yet to be determined whether and how spatial scale affects this relationship. Here, for the first time, we assessed the effects of alpha, beta and gamma diversity on ecosystem stability and the scale dependence of the slope of the diversity-stability relationship.By employing a long-term (33 years) dataset from a temperate grassland, northern China, we calculated the all possible spatial scales with the complete combination from the basic 1-m 2 plots.Species richness was positively associated with ecosystem stability through species asynchrony and overyielding at all spatial scales (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 m 2 ). Both alpha and beta diversity were positively associated with gamma stability.Moreover, the slope of the diversity-area relationship was significantly higher than that of the stability-area relationship, resulting in a decline of the slope of the diversity-stability relationship with increasing area. Synthesis. With the positive species diversity effect on ecosystem stability from small to large spatial scales, our findings demonstrate the need to maintain a high biodiversity and biotic heterogeneity as insurance against the risks incurred by ecosystems in the face of global environmental changes.

  12. Basin stability measure of different steady states in coupled oscillators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rakshit, Sarbendu; Bera, Bidesh K.; Majhi, Soumen; Hens, Chittaranjan; Ghosh, Dibakar

    2017-04-01

    In this report, we investigate the stabilization of saddle fixed points in coupled oscillators where individual oscillators exhibit the saddle fixed points. The coupled oscillators may have two structurally different types of suppressed states, namely amplitude death and oscillation death. The stabilization of saddle equilibrium point refers to the amplitude death state where oscillations are ceased and all the oscillators converge to the single stable steady state via inverse pitchfork bifurcation. Due to multistability features of oscillation death states, linear stability theory fails to analyze the stability of such states analytically, so we quantify all the states by basin stability measurement which is an universal nonlocal nonlinear concept and it interplays with the volume of basins of attractions. We also observe multi-clustered oscillation death states in a random network and measure them using basin stability framework. To explore such phenomena we choose a network of coupled Duffing-Holmes and Lorenz oscillators which are interacting through mean-field coupling. We investigate how basin stability for different steady states depends on mean-field density and coupling strength. We also analytically derive stability conditions for different steady states and confirm by rigorous bifurcation analysis.

  13. Stabilising nanofluids in saline environments.

    PubMed

    Al-Anssari, Sarmad; Arif, Muhammad; Wang, Shaobin; Barifcani, Ahmed; Iglauer, Stefan

    2017-12-15

    Nanofluids (i.e. nanoparticles dispersed in a fluid) have tremendous potential in a broad range of applications, including pharmacy, medicine, water treatment, soil decontamination, or oil recovery and CO 2 geo-sequestration. In these applications nanofluid stability plays a key role, and typically robust stability is required. However, the fluids in these applications are saline, and no stability data is available for such salt-containing fluids. We thus measured and quantified nanofluid stability for a wide range of nanofluid formulations, as a function of salinity, nanoparticle content and various additives, and we investigated how this stability can be improved. Zeta sizer and dynamic light scattering (DLS) principles were used to investigate zeta potential and particle size distribution of nanoparticle-surfactant formulations. Also scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the physicochemical aspects of the suspension. We found that the salt drastically reduced nanofluid stability (because of the screening effect on the repulsive forces between the nanoparticles), while addition of anionic surfactant improved stability. Cationic surfactants again deteriorated stability. Mechanisms for the different behaviour of the different formulations were identified and are discussed here. We thus conclude that for achieving maximum nanofluid stability, anionic surfactant should be added. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Optimization of extraction of novel pectinase enzyme discovered in red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) peel.

    PubMed

    Zohdi, Nor Khanani; Amid, Mehrnoush

    2013-11-20

    Plant peels could be a potential source of novel pectinases for use in various industrial applications due to their broad substrate specificity with high stability under extreme conditions. Therefore, the extraction conditions of a novel pectinase enzyme from pitaya peel was optimized in this study. The effect of extraction variables, namely buffer to sample ratio (2:1 to 8:1, X₁), extraction temperature (-15 to +25 °C, X₂) and buffer pH (4.0 to 12.0, X₃) on specific activity, temperature stability, storage stability and surfactant agent stability of pectinase from pitaya peel was investigated. The study demonstrated that the optimum conditions for the extraction of pectinase from pitaya sources could improve the enzymatic characteristics of the enzyme and protect its activity and stability during the extraction procedure. The optimum extraction conditions cause the pectinase to achieve high specific activity (15.31 U/mg), temperature stability (78%), storage stability (88%) and surfactant agent stability (83%). The most desirable conditions to achieve the highest activity and stability of pectinase enzyme from pitaya peel were the use of 5:1 buffer to sample ratio at 5 °C and pH 8.0.

  15. Assessing the relative stabilities of engineered hemoglobins using electrospray mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Apostol, I

    1999-07-15

    An ion trap mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray source was used to examine the relative thermodynamic stabilities of various hemoglobins with respect to both tetramer dissociation and hemin dissociation. The results demonstrated that the stability of hemoglobin molecules can be differentiated by the amount of applied collision-induced dissociation (CID) energy necessary to break up the intact tetramer into its constituent globins. The stability of the intact tetramer was affected by single mutations in the beta-globins. The stabilities of the constituent hologlobins were assessed via trap CID of selected ions. The results demonstrated the importance of the contributions of the hologlobin components to the stability of the intact tetramer. Genetic fusion of two alpha-globins, through the introduction of a single glycine residue between the C-terminus of one alpha-chain and the N-terminus of the second, significantly increased the stability of the hemoglobin pseudo-tetramer. Chemical crosslinking of the beta-globins in addition to genetic fusion of alpha-globins further stabilized the hemoglobin molecule. A dihemoglobin molecule produced by the genetic fusion of two di-alpha-globins with a flexible linker demonstrated a decreased stability relative to the corresponding monohemoglobin. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

  16. Electrostatic effects on the folding stability of FKBP

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Batra, Jyotica; Zhou, Huan-Xiang

    2006-11-01

    Charged residues play important roles in the folding of proteins and their interactions with biological targets. We have developed computational models for predicting electrostatic contributions to protein folding and binding stability. To rigorously test and further refine these models, we carried out experimental studies on the effects of charge mutations on the folding stability of FKBP. Two close homologues of FKBP, FKBP12 and FKBP12.6, differ in 18 of 107 positions, and 8 of which involve substitutions of charged residues. These 8 substitutions were introduced on FKBP12 and their effects on the folding stability were measured. The changes in unfolding free energy varied from -0.34 to 0.65 kcal/mol. A double and a triple mutation were introduced to accumulate the stabilization effect of individual substitutions, resulting an increase in stability of about 0.84 kcal/mol. On the other hand, neutralizing one or both partners of a conserved salt bridge reduced the stability by as much as 0.64 kcal/mol. These results suggest that charged residues can modulate the folding stability significantly. To further exploit stabilization effects of charged residues, experiments are now underway to introduce charge mutations that are modeled after a thermophilic FKBP.

  17. Navigating the complexity of ecological stability.

    PubMed

    Donohue, Ian; Hillebrand, Helmut; Montoya, José M; Petchey, Owen L; Pimm, Stuart L; Fowler, Mike S; Healy, Kevin; Jackson, Andrew L; Lurgi, Miguel; McClean, Deirdre; O'Connor, Nessa E; O'Gorman, Eoin J; Yang, Qiang

    2016-09-01

    Human actions challenge nature in many ways. Ecological responses are ineluctably complex, demanding measures that describe them succinctly. Collectively, these measures encapsulate the overall 'stability' of the system. Many international bodies, including the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, broadly aspire to maintain or enhance ecological stability. Such bodies frequently use terms pertaining to stability that lack clear definition. Consequently, we cannot measure them and so they disconnect from a large body of theoretical and empirical understanding. We assess the scientific and policy literature and show that this disconnect is one consequence of an inconsistent and one-dimensional approach that ecologists have taken to both disturbances and stability. This has led to confused communication of the nature of stability and the level of our insight into it. Disturbances and stability are multidimensional. Our understanding of them is not. We have a remarkably poor understanding of the impacts on stability of the characteristics that define many, perhaps all, of the most important elements of global change. We provide recommendations for theoreticians, empiricists and policymakers on how to better integrate the multidimensional nature of ecological stability into their research, policies and actions. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

  18. Comparison of dynamic postural stability scores between athletes with and without chronic ankle instability during lateral jump landing.

    PubMed

    Shiravi, Zeinab; Shadmehr, Azadeh; Moghadam, Saeed Talebian; Moghadam, Behrouz Attarbashi

    2017-01-01

    Many ankle injuries occur while participating in sports that require jumping and landing such as basketball, volleyball and soccer. Most recent studies have investigated dynamic postural stability of patients with chronic ankle instability after landing from a forward jump. The present study aimed to investigate the dynamic postural stability of the athletes who suffer from chronic ankle sprain while landing from a lateral jump. Twelve athletes with self-reported unilateral chronic ankle instability (4 females and 8 males) and 12 matched controls (3 females and 9 males) voluntarily participated in the study. Dynamic postural stability index and its directional indices were measured while performing lateral jump landing test. No differences were found between athletes with and without chronic ankle instability during our landing protocol by means of the dynamic postural stability index and its directional indices. Findings showed that in each group, medial/lateral stability index is significantly higher than anterior/posterior and vertical stability indexes. Findings showed that dynamic postural stability was not significantly different between the two groups. Future studies should examine chronic ankle instability patients with more severe disabilities and expose them to more challenging dynamic balance conditions to further explore postural stability. IIIa.

  19. Dynamic stability requirements during gait and standing exergames on the wii fit® system in the elderly

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background In rehabilitation, training intensity is usually adapted to optimize the trained system to attain better performance (overload principle). However, in balance rehabilitation, the level of intensity required during training exercises to optimize improvement in balance has rarely been studied, probably due to the difficulty in quantifying the stability level during these exercises. The goal of the present study was to test whether the stabilizing/destabilizing forces model could be used to analyze how stability is challenged during several exergames, that are more and more used in balance rehabilitation, and a dynamic functional task, such as gait. Methods Seven healthy older adults were evaluated with three-dimensional motion analysis during gait at natural and fast speed, and during three balance exergames (50/50 Challenge, Ski Slalom and Soccer). Mean and extreme values for stabilizing force, destabilizing force and the ratio of the two forces (stability index) were computed from kinematic and kinetic data to determine the mean and least level of dynamic, postural and overall balance stability, respectively. Results Mean postural stability was lower (lower mean destabilizing force) during the 50/50 Challenge game than during all the other tasks, but peak postural instability moments were less challenging during this game than during any of the other tasks, as shown by the minimum destabilizing force values. Dynamic stability was progressively more challenged (higher mean and maximum stabilizing force) from the 50/50 Challenge to the Soccer and Slalom games, to the natural gait speed task and to the fast gait speed task, increasing the overall stability difficulty (mean and minimum stability index) in the same manner. Conclusions The stabilizing/destabilizing forces model can be used to rate the level of balance requirements during different tasks such as gait or exergames. The results of our study showed that postural stability did not differ much between the evaluated tasks (except for the 50/50 Challenge), compared to dynamic stability, which was significantly less challenged during the games than during the functional tasks. Games with greater centre of mass displacements and changes in the base of support are likely to stimulate balance control enough to see improvements in balance during dynamic functional tasks, and could be tested in pathological populations with the approach used here. PMID:22607025

  20. 47 CFR 24.135 - Frequency stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Frequency stability. 24.135 Section 24.135... SERVICES Narrowband PCS § 24.135 Frequency stability. (a) The frequency stability of the transmitter shall... battery operated equipment, the equipment tests shall be performed using a new battery without any further...

  1. 46 CFR 179.212 - Watertight bulkheads for subdivision and damage stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... this chapter, a monohull vessel which undergoes a simplified stability proof test in accordance with... stability. 179.212 Section 179.212 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) SUBDIVISION, DAMAGE STABILITY, AND WATERTIGHT INTEGRITY Subdivision...

  2. 46 CFR 179.212 - Watertight bulkheads for subdivision and damage stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... this chapter, a monohull vessel which undergoes a simplified stability proof test in accordance with... stability. 179.212 Section 179.212 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) SUBDIVISION, DAMAGE STABILITY, AND WATERTIGHT INTEGRITY Subdivision...

  3. 47 CFR 24.135 - Frequency stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Frequency stability. 24.135 Section 24.135... SERVICES Narrowband PCS § 24.135 Frequency stability. (a) The frequency stability of the transmitter shall... battery operated equipment, the equipment tests shall be performed using a new battery without any further...

  4. 46 CFR 179.212 - Watertight bulkheads for subdivision and damage stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... this chapter, a monohull vessel which undergoes a simplified stability proof test in accordance with... stability. 179.212 Section 179.212 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) SUBDIVISION, DAMAGE STABILITY, AND WATERTIGHT INTEGRITY Subdivision...

  5. 46 CFR 179.212 - Watertight bulkheads for subdivision and damage stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... this chapter, a monohull vessel which undergoes a simplified stability proof test in accordance with... stability. 179.212 Section 179.212 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) SUBDIVISION, DAMAGE STABILITY, AND WATERTIGHT INTEGRITY Subdivision...

  6. 47 CFR 24.135 - Frequency stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Frequency stability. 24.135 Section 24.135... SERVICES Narrowband PCS § 24.135 Frequency stability. (a) The frequency stability of the transmitter shall... battery operated equipment, the equipment tests shall be performed using a new battery without any further...

  7. 47 CFR 24.135 - Frequency stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Frequency stability. 24.135 Section 24.135... SERVICES Narrowband PCS § 24.135 Frequency stability. (a) The frequency stability of the transmitter shall... battery operated equipment, the equipment tests shall be performed using a new battery without any further...

  8. 47 CFR 24.135 - Frequency stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Frequency stability. 24.135 Section 24.135... SERVICES Narrowband PCS § 24.135 Frequency stability. (a) The frequency stability of the transmitter shall... battery operated equipment, the equipment tests shall be performed using a new battery without any further...

  9. 49 CFR 173.195 - Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized (hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solution).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized... Hazardous Materials Other Than Class 1 and Class 7 § 173.195 Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized (hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solution). (a) Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized, must be packed in...

  10. 49 CFR 173.195 - Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized (hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solution).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized... Hazardous Materials Other Than Class 1 and Class 7 § 173.195 Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized (hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solution). (a) Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized, must be packed in...

  11. 49 CFR 173.195 - Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized (hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solution).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized... Hazardous Materials Other Than Class 1 and Class 7 § 173.195 Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized (hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solution). (a) Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized, must be packed in...

  12. 49 CFR 173.195 - Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized (hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solution).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized... Hazardous Materials Other Than Class 1 and Class 7 § 173.195 Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized (hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solution). (a) Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized, must be packed in...

  13. 49 CFR 173.195 - Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized (hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solution).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized... Hazardous Materials Other Than Class 1 and Class 7 § 173.195 Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized (hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solution). (a) Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized, must be packed in...

  14. Factors Affecting Lateral Stability and Controllability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campbell, John P; Toll, Thomas A

    1948-01-01

    The effects on dynamic lateral stability and controllability of some of the important aerodynamic and mass characteristics are discussed and methods are presented for estimating the various stability parameters to be used in the calculation of the dynamic lateral stability of airplanes with swept and low-aspect-ratio wings.

  15. Limits to Stability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cottey, Alan

    2012-01-01

    The author reflects briefly on what limited degree of global ecological stability and human cultural stability may be achieved, provided that humanity retains hope and does not give way to despair or hide in denial. These thoughts were triggered by a recent conference on International Stability and Systems Engineering. (Contains 5 notes.)

  16. 7 CFR 58.933 - Stabilizers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... Materials § 58.933 Stabilizers. Shall be those permitted by the Food and Drug Administration's “Standards of Identity” as optional ingredients for specific products. Stabilizers shall be free from extraneous material... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Stabilizers. 58.933 Section 58.933 Agriculture...

  17. 7 CFR 58.933 - Stabilizers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Materials § 58.933 Stabilizers. Shall be those permitted by the Food and Drug Administration's “Standards of Identity” as optional ingredients for specific products. Stabilizers shall be free from extraneous material... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Stabilizers. 58.933 Section 58.933 Agriculture...

  18. The Effect on Long-Term Survivorship of Surgeon Preference for Posterior-Stabilized or Minimally Stabilized Total Knee Replacement: An Analysis of 63,416 Prostheses from the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry.

    PubMed

    Vertullo, Christopher J; Lewis, Peter L; Lorimer, Michelle; Graves, Stephen E

    2017-07-05

    Controversy still exists as to the optimum management of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in total knee arthroplasty. Surgeons can choose to kinematically substitute the PCL with a posterior-stabilized total knee replacement or alternatively to utilize a cruciate-retaining, also known as minimally stabilized, total knee replacement. Proponents of posterior-stabilized total knee replacement propose that the reported lower survivorship in registries when directly compared with minimally stabilized total knee replacement is due to confounders such as selection bias because of the preferential usage of posterior-stabilized total knee replacement in more complex or severe cases. In this study, we aimed to eliminate these possible confounders by performing an instrumental variable analysis based on surgeon preference to choose either posterior-stabilized or minimally stabilized total knee replacement, rather than the actual prosthesis received. Cumulative percent revision, hazard ratio (HR), and revision diagnosis data were obtained from the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry from September 1, 1999, to December 31, 2014, for 2 cohorts of patients, those treated by high-volume surgeons who preferred minimally stabilized replacements and those treated by high-volume surgeons who preferred posterior-stabilized replacements. All patients had a diagnosis of osteoarthritis and underwent fixed-bearing total knee replacement with patellar resurfacing. At 13 years, the cumulative percent revision was 5.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.0% to 6.2%) for the surgeons who preferred the minimally stabilized replacements compared with 6.0% (95% CI, 4.2% to 8.5%) for the surgeons who preferred the posterior-stabilized replacements. The revision risk for the surgeons who preferred posterior-stabilized replacements was significantly higher for all causes (HR = 1.45 [95% CI, 1.30 to 1.63]; p < 0.001), for loosening or lysis (HR = 1.93 [95% CI, 1.58 to 2.37]; p < 0.001), and for infection (HR = 1.51 [95% CI, 1.25 to 1.82]; p < 0.001). This finding was irrespective of patient age and was evident with cemented fixation and with both cross-linked polyethylene and non-cross-linked polyethylene. However, the higher revision risk was only evident in male patients. There was a 45% higher risk of revision for the patients of surgeons who preferred a posterior-stabilized total knee replacement compared with the patients of surgeons who preferred a minimally stabilized total knee replacement. Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

  19. The exponential behavior and stabilizability of the stochastic magnetohydrodynamic equations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Huaqiao

    2018-06-01

    This paper studies the two-dimensional stochastic magnetohydrodynamic equations which are used to describe the turbulent flows in magnetohydrodynamics. The exponential behavior and the exponential mean square stability of the weak solutions are proved by the application of energy method. Furthermore, we establish the pathwise exponential stability by using the exponential mean square stability. When the stochastic perturbations satisfy certain additional hypotheses, we can also obtain pathwise exponential stability results without using the mean square stability.

  20. Thermodynamic stability of carbonic anhydrase: measurements of binding affinity and stoichiometry using ThermoFluor.

    PubMed

    Matulis, Daumantas; Kranz, James K; Salemme, F Raymond; Todd, Matthew J

    2005-04-05

    ThermoFluor (a miniaturized high-throughput protein stability assay) was used to analyze the linkage between protein thermal stability and ligand binding. Equilibrium binding ligands increase protein thermal stability by an amount proportional to the concentration and affinity of the ligand. Binding constants (K(b)) were measured by examining the systematic effect of ligand concentration on protein stability. The precise ligand effects depend on the thermodynamics of protein stability: in particular, the unfolding enthalpy. An extension of current theoretical treatments was developed for tight binding inhibitors, where ligand effect on T(m) can also reveal binding stoichiometry. A thermodynamic analysis of carbonic anhydrase by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) enabled a dissection of the Gibbs free energy of stability into enthalpic and entropic components. Under certain conditions, thermal stability increased by over 30 degrees C; the heat capacity of protein unfolding was estimated from the dependence of calorimetric enthalpy on T(m). The binding affinity of six sulfonamide inhibitors to two isozymes (human type 1 and bovine type 2) was analyzed by both ThermoFluor and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), resulting in a good correlation in the rank ordering of ligand affinity. This combined investigation by ThermoFluor, ITC, and DSC provides a detailed picture of the linkage between ligand binding and protein stability. The systematic effect of ligands on stability is shown to be a general tool to measure affinity.

  1. The impact of loss sensitivity on a mobile phone supply chain system stability based on the chaos theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Junhai; Xie, Lei

    2018-02-01

    This paper, based on the China's communications and the current situation of the mobile phone industry, focuses on the stability of a supply chain system that consists of one supplier and one bounded rational retailer. We explore the influence of the decision makers' loss sensitivity and decision adjustment speed on the stability of the supply chain. It is found that when the retailer is not sensitive to the loss or adjusts decisions cautiously, the system can be stable. The single-retailer model is extended to a multi-retailer one to study the influence of competition on the system stability. The results show that the market share of each retailer does not affect the system stability when it is fixed. The decision of each retailer does not affect that of any other retailer and the system stability. We present two decision adjustment rules (;bounded rationality expectation (BRE); and "adaptive exponential smoothing (AES)") and compare their performances on the system stability, and find that the AES rule does not affect the system stability, while the BRE rule will make the system stability be sensitive to the retailers' loss sensitivity and the decision adjustment speed. We also reveal the unstable system's negative impact on the retailers' decisions and profits, to emphasize the importance to maintain the system stability.

  2. Development of novel zein-sodium caseinate nanoparticle (ZP)-stabilized emulsion films for improved water barrier properties via emulsion/solvent evaporation.

    PubMed

    Wang, Li-Juan; Yin, Ye-Chong; Yin, Shou-Wei; Yang, Xiao-Quan; Shi, Wei-Jian; Tang, Chuan-He; Wang, Jin-Mei

    2013-11-20

    This work attempted to develop novel high barrier zein/SC nanoparticle (ZP)-stabilized emulsion films through microfluidic emulsification (ZPE films) or in combination with solvent (ethyl acetate) evaporation techniques (ZPE-EA films). Some physical properties, including tensile and optical properties, water vapor permeability (WVP), and surface hydrophobicity, as well as the microstructure of ZP-stabilized emulsion films were evaluated and compared with SC emulsion (SCE) films. The emulsion/solvent evaporation approach reduced lipid droplets of ZP-stabilized emulsions, and lipid droplets of ZP-stabilized emulsions were similar to or slightly lower than that of SC emulsions. However, ZP- and SC-stabilized emulsion films exhibited a completely different microstructure, nanoscalar lipid droplets were homogeneously distributed in the ZPE film matrix and interpenetrating protein-oil complex networks occurred within ZPE-EA films, whereas SCE films presented a heterogeneous microstructure. The different stabilization mechanisms against creaming or coalescence during film formation accounted for the preceding discrepancy of the microstructures between ZP-and SC-stabilized emulsion films. Interestingly, ZP-stabilized emulsion films exhibited a better water barrier efficiency, and the WVP values were only 40-50% of SCE films. A schematic representation for the formation of ZP-stabilized emulsion films was proposed to relate the physical performance of the films with their microstructure and to elucidate the possible forming mechanism of the films.

  3. How do Stability Corrections Perform in the Stable Boundary Layer Over Snow?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schlögl, Sebastian; Lehning, Michael; Nishimura, Kouichi; Huwald, Hendrik; Cullen, Nicolas J.; Mott, Rebecca

    2017-10-01

    We assess sensible heat-flux parametrizations in stable conditions over snow surfaces by testing and developing stability correction functions for two alpine and two polar test sites. Five turbulence datasets are analyzed with respect to, (a) the validity of the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory, (b) the model performance of well-established stability corrections, and (c) the development of new univariate and multivariate stability corrections. Using a wide range of stability corrections reveals an overestimation of the turbulent sensible heat flux for high wind speeds and a generally poor performance of all investigated functions for large temperature differences between snow and the atmosphere above (>10 K). Applying the Monin-Obukhov bulk formulation introduces a mean absolute error in the sensible heat flux of 6 W m^{-2} (compared with heat fluxes calculated directly from eddy covariance). The stability corrections produce an additional error between 1 and 5 W m^{-2}, with the smallest error for published stability corrections found for the Holtslag scheme. We confirm from previous studies that stability corrections need improvements for large temperature differences and wind speeds, where sensible heat fluxes are distinctly overestimated. Under these atmospheric conditions our newly developed stability corrections slightly improve the model performance. However, the differences between stability corrections are typically small when compared to the residual error, which stems from the Monin-Obukhov bulk formulation.

  4. The validity and reliability of a dynamic neuromuscular stabilization-heel sliding test for core stability.

    PubMed

    Cha, Young Joo; Lee, Jae Jin; Kim, Do Hyun; You, Joshua Sung H

    2017-10-23

    Core stabilization plays an important role in the regulation of postural stability. To overcome shortcomings associated with pain and severe core instability during conventional core stabilization tests, we recently developed the dynamic neuromuscular stabilization-based heel sliding (DNS-HS) test. The purpose of this study was to establish the criterion validity and test-retest reliability of the novel DNS-HS test. Twenty young adults with core instability completed both the bilateral straight leg lowering test (BSLLT) and DNS-HS test for the criterion validity study and repeated the DNS-HS test for the test-retest reliability study. Criterion validity was determined by comparing hip joint angle data that were obtained from BSLLT and DNS-HS measures. The test-retest reliability was determined by comparing hip joint angle data. Criterion validity was (ICC2,3) = 0.700 (p< 0.05), suggesting a good relationship between the two core stability measures. Test-retest reliability was (ICC3,3) = 0.953 (p< 0.05), indicating excellent consistency between the repeated DNS-HS measurements. Criterion validity data demonstrated a good relationship between the gold standard BSLLT and DNS-HS core stability measures. Test-retest reliability data suggests that DNS-HS core stability was a reliable test for core stability. Clinically, the DNS-HS test is useful to objectively quantify core instability and allow early detection and evaluation.

  5. Stability of Beriplast P fibrin sealant: storage and reconstitution.

    PubMed

    Eberhard, Ulrich; Broder, Martin; Witzke, Günther

    2006-04-26

    This study was performed to investigate the stability of Beriplast P fibrin sealant (FS) across a range of storage conditions, both pre- and post-reconstitution. Storage stability of the FS was evaluated during long-term refrigeration (24 months) with or without interim storage at elevated temperatures (40 degrees C for 1 week and 25 degrees C for 1 and 3 months). Stability of individual FS components was assessed by measuring: fibrinogen content, Factor XIII activity (FXIII), thrombin activity and aprotinin potency. The package integrity of each component was also checked (sterility testing, moisture content and pH). Storage stability was also evaluated by testing the reconstituted product for adhesion (tearing force testing after mixing the solutions) and sterility. Reconstitution stability was evaluated following 3-months' storage, for up to 50 h post-reconstitution using the same tests as for the storage stability investigations. Pre-defined specifications were met for fibrinogen content, Factor XIII activity, and thrombin activity, demonstrating storage stability. Package integrity and the functionality and sterility of the reconstituted product were confirmed throughout. Reconstitution stability was demonstrated for up to 50 h following reconstitution, in terms of both tearing force and sterility tests. In conclusion, the storage stability of Beriplast P was demonstrated over a range of 24-month storage schedules including interim exposure to elevated temperature, and the reconstituted product was stable for up to 50 h.

  6. International comparative evaluation of fixed-bearing non-posterior-stabilized and posterior-stabilized total knee replacements.

    PubMed

    Comfort, Thomas; Baste, Valborg; Froufe, Miquel Angel; Namba, Robert; Bordini, Barbara; Robertsson, Otto; Cafri, Guy; Paxton, Elizabeth; Sedrakyan, Art; Graves, Stephen

    2014-12-17

    Differences in survivorship of non-posterior-stabilized compared with posterior-stabilized knee designs carry substantial economic consequences, especially with limited health-care resources. However, these comparisons have often been made between relatively small groups of patients, often with short-term follow-up, with only small differences demonstrated between the groups. The goal of this study is to compare the outcomes of non-posterior-stabilized and posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasties with use of a unique collaboration of multiple established knee arthroplasty registries. A distributed health data network was developed by the International Consortium of Orthopaedic Registries and was used in this study to reduce barriers to participation (such as security, propriety, legal, and privacy issues) compared with a centralized data warehouse approach. The study included only replacements in osteoarthritis patients who underwent total knee procedures involving fixed-bearing devices from 2001 to 2010. The outcome of interest was time to first revision. On average, not resurfacing showed a more harmful effect than resurfacing did when posterior-stabilized and non-posterior-stabilized knee replacements were compared, while the risk of revision for posterior-stabilized compared with non-posterior-stabilized knees was highest in year zero to one, followed by year one to two, years eight through ten, and years two through eight. Posterior-stabilized knees did significantly worse than non-posterior-stabilized knees did when the patella was not resurfaced. This difference was most pronounced in the first two years (year zero to one: hazard ratio [HR] = 2.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.56 to 2.95, p < 0.001; year one to two: HR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.48 to 1.75, p < 0.001). When the patella was resurfaced, posterior-stabilized knees did significantly worse than non-posterior-stabilized knees did. This was again most pronounced in the first two years (year zero to one: HR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.27 to 2.42, p = 0.001; year one to two: HR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.19 to 1.45, p < 0.001). There was a reduced risk of revision with a patient age of more than sixty-five years (HR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.55 to 0.60, p < 0.001). We found that fixed non-posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty performed better with or without patellar resurfacing than did fixed posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty. This effect was most pronounced in the first two years. The risk of revision for posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasties was reduced with patellar resurfacing. Also, a patient age of more than sixty-five years and female gender reduced the risk of revision. Copyright © 2014 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.

  7. Stability of outer planetary orbits around binary stars - A comparison of Hill's and Laplace's stability criteria

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kubala, A.; Black, D.; Szebehely, V.

    1993-01-01

    A comparison is made between the stability criteria of Hill and that of Laplace to determine the stability of outer planetary orbits encircling binary stars. The restricted, analytically determined results of Hill's method by Szebehely and coworkers and the general, numerically integrated results of Laplace's method by Graziani and Black (1981) are compared for varying values of the mass parameter mu. For mu = 0 to 0.15, the closest orbit (lower limit of radius) an outer planet in a binary system can have and still remain stable is determined by Hill's stability criterion. For mu greater than 0.15, the critical radius is determined by Laplace's stability criterion. It appears that the Graziani-Black stability criterion describes the critical orbit within a few percent for all values of mu.

  8. A Study on Multi-Swing Stability Analysis of Power System using Damping Rate Inversion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsuji, Takao; Morii, Yuki; Oyama, Tsutomu; Hashiguchi, Takuhei; Goda, Tadahiro; Nomiyama, Fumitoshi; Kosugi, Narifumi

    In recent years, much attention is paid to the nonlinear analysis method in the field of stability analysis of power systems. Especially for the multi-swing stability analysis, the unstable limit cycle has an important meaning as a stability margin. It is required to develop a high speed calculation method of stability boundary regarding multi-swing stability because the real-time calculation of ATC is necessary to realize the flexible wheeling trades. Therefore, the authors have developed a new method which can calculate the unstable limit cycle based on damping rate inversion method. Using the unstable limit cycle, it is possible to predict the multi-swing stability at the time when the fault transmission line is reclosed. The proposed method is tested in Lorenz equation, single-machine infinite-bus system model and IEEJ WEST10 system model.

  9. Carrier-envelope phase stabilization with sub-10 as residual timing jitter.

    PubMed

    Borchers, B; Koke, S; Husakou, A; Herrmann, J; Steinmeyer, G

    2011-11-01

    We demonstrate carrier-envelope phase (CEP) stabilization of a mode-locked Ti:sapphire oscillator with unprecedented timing jitter of eight attoseconds. The stabilization performance is obtained by a combination of two different stabilization approaches. In a first step the drift of the CEP is stabilized with a conventional feedback loop by means of controlling the oscillator pump power with an acousto-optic modulator (AOM). In a second step we utilize a recently developed feed-forward type stabilization scheme which has a much higher control bandwith. Here an acousto-optic frequency shifter (AOFS) produces the stabilized output in the first diffraction order. Moreover, we present numerical results on the optimization of the length of the photonic crystal fiber, which is used to generate an octave-spanning spectrum, in order to optimize the sensitivity in the f-to-2f interferometers.

  10. Stability of a new cubic monoxide of Thorium under pressure

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Weiwei; Luo, Wei; Ahuja, Rajeev

    2015-01-01

    Density functional theory has been applied to elucidate the stability of thorium monoxide (ThO). It is found out that the pressure can stabilize the rocksalt phase of ThO, and the transition pressure is estimated between 14 and 22 GPa. The stability of ThO can be attributed due to the gradually filling 5f orbitals at the expense of 7s and 6d electrons in Th metal. For ThO, the pressure induces stronger Th-O bond reflected by the newly established 6d-2p hybridization which is the dominant cause of its stability. The phonon dispersion curves of the rocksalt phase show the positive frequencies which indicates its dynamical stability. Our successful prediction of the stabilization of the metallic ThO has proposed a route to synthesize novel actinide monoxides. PMID:26337015

  11. Stability Development of Immediately Loaded Hybrid Self-Tapping Implants Inserted in the Posterior Maxilla: 1-Year Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

    PubMed

    Todorovic, Vladimir S; Vasovic, Miroslav; Beetge, Mia-Michaela; van Zyl, Andre W; Kokovic, Vladimir

    2017-02-01

    The objective of the present study was to elucidate stability development of immediately loaded hybrid self-tapping implants inserted in the posterior maxilla. Forty-eight hybrid self-tapping implants with a chemically modified surface (∅4.1; length: 8 mm) were inserted bilaterally in the maxillary first and second premolar and first molar sites of 8 patients. In each patient, both sides of the maxilla were assigned randomly to either immediate (IL) or early (EL) loading group. Implant stability was evaluated by means of resonance frequency analysis immediately after implant placement and after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 26, and 52 weeks. High values of primary stability were found in both groups (71.91 ± 6.52 implant stability quotient [ISQ] in IL group; 73.87 ± 6.5 ISQ in EL group), with significant differences between the groups at the different time points. Initial decrease in stability was observed between the first and fifth weeks in the IL group and between the first and third weeks for the EL group. In the IL group 1 implant was removed after 3 weeks due to lack of stability. Early results of this study showed the ability of hybrid self-tapping dental implants with a chemically modified surface to achieve sufficient primary stability and to maintain high values of secondary implant stability in bone type 3 and 4, even when loaded immediately. Minimal alterations in stability were observed for both investigated groups, but the EL group showed faster recovery after an initial drop in stability.

  12. On stability of discrete composite systems.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grujic, L. T.; Siljak, D. D.

    1973-01-01

    Conditions are developed under which exponential stability of a composite discrete system is implied by exponential stability of its subsystems and the nature of their interactions. Stability of the system is determined by testing positive definiteness property of a real symmetric matrix the dimension of which is equal to the number of subsystems.

  13. Stabilizing Conditional Standard Errors of Measurement in Scale Score Transformations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moses, Tim; Kim, YoungKoung

    2017-01-01

    The focus of this article is on scale score transformations that can be used to stabilize conditional standard errors of measurement (CSEMs). Three transformations for stabilizing the estimated CSEMs are reviewed, including the traditional arcsine transformation, a recently developed general variance stabilization transformation, and a new method…

  14. Yield stability of processing sweet corn and relationship to genotype adoption

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Yield stability is a crop genotype’s performance over a range of environmental conditions, such that a specific genotype may be less sensitive to environmental change (i.e. above-average stability) or more sensitive to environmental change (i.e. below-average stability) relative to other genotypes. ...

  15. Laser frequency stabilization using a transfer interferometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jackson, Shira; Sawaoka, Hiromitsu; Bhatt, Nishant; Potnis, Shreyas; Vutha, Amar C.

    2018-03-01

    We present a laser frequency stabilization system that uses a transfer interferometer to stabilize slave lasers to a reference laser. Our implementation uses off-the-shelf optical components along with microcontroller-based digital feedback, and offers a simple, flexible, and robust way to stabilize multiple laser frequencies to better than 1 MHz.

  16. 46 CFR 42.09-10 - Stability, subdivision, and strength.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... approval of test results (light ship data) and stability information shall be furnished by the owner. In... a stability test performed under the supervision of the Commandant. Results of such tests, if... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Stability, subdivision, and strength. 42.09-10 Section...

  17. 46 CFR 42.09-10 - Stability, subdivision, and strength.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... approval of test results (light ship data) and stability information shall be furnished by the owner. In... a stability test performed under the supervision of the Commandant. Results of such tests, if... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Stability, subdivision, and strength. 42.09-10 Section...

  18. 46 CFR 42.09-10 - Stability, subdivision, and strength.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... approval of test results (light ship data) and stability information shall be furnished by the owner. In... a stability test performed under the supervision of the Commandant. Results of such tests, if... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Stability, subdivision, and strength. 42.09-10 Section...

  19. 14 CFR 23.181 - Dynamic stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Dynamic stability. 23.181 Section 23.181... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Flight Stability § 23.181 Dynamic... that the function of a stability augmentation system, reference § 23.672, is needed to meet the flight...

  20. 46 CFR 28.510 - Definition of stability terms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Definition of stability terms. 28.510 Section 28.510... FISHING INDUSTRY VESSELS Stability § 28.510 Definition of stability terms. Downflooding means the entry of... the forward side of the vessel's stem and the vessel's waterline at the vessel's deepest operating...

  1. 46 CFR 28.510 - Definition of stability terms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Definition of stability terms. 28.510 Section 28.510... FISHING INDUSTRY VESSELS Stability § 28.510 Definition of stability terms. Downflooding means the entry of... the forward side of the vessel's stem and the vessel's waterline at the vessel's deepest operating...

  2. 46 CFR 28.510 - Definition of stability terms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Definition of stability terms. 28.510 Section 28.510... FISHING INDUSTRY VESSELS Stability § 28.510 Definition of stability terms. Downflooding means the entry of... the forward side of the vessel's stem and the vessel's waterline at the vessel's deepest operating...

  3. 46 CFR 28.510 - Definition of stability terms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Definition of stability terms. 28.510 Section 28.510... FISHING INDUSTRY VESSELS Stability § 28.510 Definition of stability terms. Downflooding means the entry of... the forward side of the vessel's stem and the vessel's waterline at the vessel's deepest operating...

  4. 46 CFR 28.510 - Definition of stability terms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Definition of stability terms. 28.510 Section 28.510... FISHING INDUSTRY VESSELS Stability § 28.510 Definition of stability terms. Downflooding means the entry of... the forward side of the vessel's stem and the vessel's waterline at the vessel's deepest operating...

  5. 76 FR 13074 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Model 777-200, -200LR, -300, and -300ER Series...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-10

    ... reinstallation of the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator (HSTA) after inspection and measurement; and if... horizontal stabilizer; repetitive installations of the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator (HSTA); and if... found during a scheduled inspection of the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator (HSTA) components; the...

  6. 14 CFR 1300.3 - Supplementary regulations of the Air Transportation Stabilization Board.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Transportation Stabilization Board. 1300.3 Section 1300.3 Aeronautics and Space AIR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM... General § 1300.3 Supplementary regulations of the Air Transportation Stabilization Board. (a) The regulations in this part are supplemented by the regulations of the Air Transportation Stabilization Board in...

  7. Take-off Stability Characteristics of a 1/13-scale Model of the Consolidated Vultee Skate 7 Seaplane (TED No. NACA DE 338)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McKann, Robert; Coffee, Claude W.; Abrabian, Donald D.

    1949-01-01

    The take-off stability characteristics of a Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation Skate 7 seaplane were determined in the Langley tank no. 2. Trim limits of stability, trim tracks, and elevator limits of stability are presented.

  8. 46 CFR 170.185 - Stability test preparations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Stability test preparations. 170.185 Section 170.185....185 Stability test preparations. The following preparations must be made before conducting a stability... of the vessel to be tested. (2) Date and location of the test. (3) Inclining weight data. (4...

  9. 21 CFR 880.6980 - Vein stabilizer.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Vein stabilizer. 880.6980 Section 880.6980 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL... § 880.6980 Vein stabilizer. (a) Identification. A vein stabilizer is a device consisting of a flat piece...

  10. 21 CFR 880.6980 - Vein stabilizer.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Vein stabilizer. 880.6980 Section 880.6980 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL... § 880.6980 Vein stabilizer. (a) Identification. A vein stabilizer is a device consisting of a flat piece...

  11. WATER STABILITY OF FILLED ELASTOMERS,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    ELECTRICAL INSULATION, *BUTYL RUBBER , ELASTOMERS, STABILITY, STABILITY, HYDROLYSIS, CURING AGENTS, ADDITIVES, WATER, ABSORPTION, THICKNESS, ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE, LEAKAGE(ELECTRICAL), DIFFUSION, TALC, ELECTRIC CABLES.

  12. Thermo-Mechanical Methodology for Stabilizing Shape Memory Alloy Response

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Padula, Santo

    2013-01-01

    This innovation is capable of significantly reducing the amount of time required to stabilize the strain-temperature response of a shape memory alloy (SMA). Unlike traditional stabilization processes that take days to weeks to achieve stabilized response, this innovation accomplishes stabilization in a matter of minutes, thus making it highly useful for the successful and practical implementation of SMA-based technologies in real-world applications. The innovation can also be applied to complex geometry components, not just simple geometries like wires or rods.

  13. Control and stabilization of decentralized systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Byrnes, Christopher I.; Gilliam, David; Martin, Clyde F.

    1989-01-01

    Proceeding from the problem posed by the need to stabilize the motion of two helicopters maneuvering a single load, a methodology is developed for the stabilization of classes of decentralized systems based on a more algebraic approach, which involves the external symmetries of decentralized systems. Stabilizing local-feedback laws are derived for any class of decentralized systems having a semisimple algebra of symmetries; the helicopter twin-lift problem, as well as certain problems involving the stabilization of discretizations of distributed parameter problems, have just such algebras of symmetries.

  14. Stability region maximization by decomposition-aggregation method. [Skylab stability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Siljak, D. D.; Cuk, S. M.

    1974-01-01

    This work is to improve the estimates of the stability regions by formulating and resolving a proper maximization problem. The solution of the problem provides the best estimate of the maximal value of the structural parameter and at the same time yields the optimum comparison system, which can be used to determine the degree of stability of the Skylab. The analysis procedure is completely computerized, resulting in a flexible and powerful tool for stability considerations of large-scale linear as well as nonlinear systems.

  15. Electrostatic stabilizer for a passive magnetic bearing system

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Post, Richard F

    2016-10-11

    Electrostatic stabilizers are provided for passive bearing systems composed of annular magnets having a net positive stiffness against radial displacements and that have a negative stiffness for vertical displacements, resulting in a vertical instability. Further embodiments are shown of a radial electrostatic stabilizer geometry (using circuitry similar to that employed in the vertical stabilizer). This version is suitable for stabilizing radial (lateral) displacements of a rotor that is levitated by annular permanent magnets that are stable against vertical displacements but are unstable against radial displacements.

  16. Exponential stability of stochastic complex networks with multi-weights based on graph theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Chunmei; Chen, Tianrui

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, a novel approach to exponential stability of stochastic complex networks with multi-weights is investigated by means of the graph-theoretical method. New sufficient conditions are provided to ascertain the moment exponential stability and almost surely exponential stability of stochastic complex networks with multiple weights. It is noted that our stability results are closely related with multi-weights and the intensity of stochastic disturbance. Numerical simulations are also presented to substantiate the theoretical results.

  17. Frequency stability of maser oscillators operated with cavity Q. [hydrogen and rubidium masers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tetu, M.; Tremblay, P.; Lesage, P.; Petit, P.; Audoin, C.

    1982-01-01

    The short term frequency stability of masers equipped with an external feedback loop to increase the cavity quality factor was studied. The frequency stability of a hydrogen and a rubidium maser were measured and compared with theoretical evaluation. It is shown that the frequency stability passes through an optimum when the cavity Q is varied. Long term fluctuations are discussed and the optimum mid term frequency stability achievably by small size active and passive H-masers is considered.

  18. Thermal-inertial ratchet effects: negative mobility, resonant activation, noise-enhanced stability, and noise-weakened stability.

    PubMed

    Li, Jing-hui; Łuczka, Jerzy

    2010-10-01

    Transport properties of a Brownian particle in thermal-inertial ratchets subject to an external time-oscillatory drive and a constant bias force are investigated. Since the phenomena of negative mobility, resonant activation and noise-enhance stability were reported before, in the present paper, we report some additional aspects of negative mobility, resonant activation and noise-enhance stability, such as the ingredients for the appearances of these phenomena, multiple resonant activation peaks, current reversals, noise-weakened stability, and so on.

  19. Electrostatic stabilizer for a passive magnetic bearing system

    DOEpatents

    Post, Richard F.

    2015-11-24

    Electrostatic stabilizers are provided for passive bearing systems composed of annular magnets having a net positive stiffness against radial displacements and that have a negative stiffness for vertical displacements, resulting in a vertical instability. Further embodiments are shown of a radial electrostatic stabilizer geometry (using circuitry similar to that employed in the vertical stabilizer). This version is suitable for stabilizing radial (lateral) displacements of a rotor that is levitated by annular permanent magnets that are stable against vertical displacements but are unstable against radial displacements.

  20. Direct carrier-envelope phase control of an amplified laser system.

    PubMed

    Balčiūnas, Tadas; Flöry, Tobias; Baltuška, Andrius; Stanislauskas, Tomas; Antipenkov, Roman; Varanavičius, Arūnas; Steinmeyer, Günter

    2014-03-15

    Direct carrier-envelope phase stabilization of an Yb:KGW MOPA laser system is demonstrated with a residual phase jitter reduced to below 100 mrad, which compares favorably with previous stabilization reports, both of amplified laser systems as well as of ytterbium-based oscillators. This novel stabilization scheme relies on a frequency synthesis scheme and a feed-forward approach. The direct stabilization of a sub-MHz frequency comb from a CPA amplifier not only reduces the phase noise but also greatly simplifies the stabilization setup.

  1. Accelerated stability assay (ASA) for colloidal systems.

    PubMed

    Chong, Josephine Y T; Mulet, Xavier; Boyd, Ben J; Drummond, Calum J

    2014-05-12

    Assessment of the stability of colloidal systems, in particular lyotropic liquid crystalline dispersions, such as cubosomes and hexosomes, is typically performed qualitatively or with limited throughput on specialized instruments. Here, an accelerated stability assay for colloidal particles has been developed in 384-well plates with standard laboratory equipment. These protocols enable quantitative assessments of colloidal stability. To demonstrate the applicability of the assay, several steric stabilizers for cubic phase nanostructured particles (cubosomes) have been compared to the current "gold standard" Pluronic F127.

  2. An Analysis of the Oil-Whirl Instability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schultz, William W.; Han, Heng-Chu; Boyd, John P.; Schumack, Mark

    1997-11-01

    We investigate the hydrodynamic stability of a rotating journal translating inside a stationary bearing. A long (two-dimensional) journal bearing separated by a Newtonian non-cavitating lubricant is studied for shaft stability. Spectral element methods, perturbation methods, and linear stability analyses are used. The influences of fluid inertia, eccentricity, ellipticity, shaft mass, and finite gap on hydrodynamic stability are explored. Lubrication theory using Reynolds equation ignoring fluid inertia leads to erroneous conclusions. Without fluid inertia, the shaft is always unstable. However, the journal is conditionally stable even in the limit Rearrow 0 if fluid inertia is included. Increasing eccentricity helps stabilize a whirling shaft. Non-circular shaft bearings, for example elliptical bearings, are observed to have better dynamic stability.

  3. Stabilization of a protein conferred by an increase in folded state entropy.

    PubMed

    Dagan, Shlomi; Hagai, Tzachi; Gavrilov, Yulian; Kapon, Ruti; Levy, Yaakov; Reich, Ziv

    2013-06-25

    Entropic stabilization of native protein structures typically relies on strategies that serve to decrease the entropy of the unfolded state. Here we report, using a combination of experimental and computational approaches, on enhanced thermodynamic stability conferred by an increase in the configurational entropy of the folded state. The enhanced stability is observed upon modifications of a loop region in the enzyme acylphosphatase and is achieved despite significant enthalpy losses. The modifications that lead to increased stability, as well as those that result in destabilization, however, strongly compromise enzymatic activity, rationalizing the preservation of the native loop structure even though it does not provide the protein with maximal stability or kinetic foldability.

  4. Grid Stability Awareness System (GSAS) Final Scientific/Technical Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Feuerborn, Scott; Ma, Jian; Black, Clifton

    The project team developed a software suite named Grid Stability Awareness System (GSAS) for power system near real-time stability monitoring and analysis based on synchrophasor measurement. The software suite consists of five analytical tools: an oscillation monitoring tool, a voltage stability monitoring tool, a transient instability monitoring tool, an angle difference monitoring tool, and an event detection tool. These tools have been integrated into one framework to provide power grid operators with both real-time or near real-time stability status of a power grid and historical information about system stability status. These tools are being considered for real-time use in themore » operation environment.« less

  5. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ahmad, Zeeshan; Viswanathan, Venkatasubramanian

    Here, we investigate the stability of electrodeposition at solid-solid interfaces for materials exhibiting an anisotropic mechanical response. The stability of electrodeposition or resistance to the formation of dendrites is studied within a linear stability analysis. The deformation and stress equations are solved using the Stroh formalism and faithfully recover the boundary conditions at the interface. The stability parameter is used to quantify the stability of different solid-solid interfaces incorporating the full anisotropy of the elastic tensor of the two materials. Our results show a high degree of variability in the stability parameter depending on the crystallographic orientation of the solidsmore » in contact, and point to opportunities for exploiting this effect in developing Li metal anodes.« less

  6. Boundary lubrication, thermal and oxidative stability of a fluorinated polyether and a perfluoropolyether triazine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, W. R., Jr.; Snyder, C. E., Jr.

    1979-01-01

    Boundary lubricating characteristics, thermal stability and oxidation-corrosion stability were determined for a fluorinated polyether and a perfluoropolyether triazine. A ball-on-disk apparatus, a tensimeter and oxidation-corrosion apparatus were used. Results were compared to data for a polyphenyl ether and a C-ether. The polyether and triazine yielded better boundary lubricating characteristics than either the polyphenyl ether or C-ether. The polyphenyl ether had the greatest thermal stability (443 C) while the other fluids had stabilities in the range 389 to 397 C. Oxidation-corrosion results indicated the following order of stabilities: perfluoropolyether triazine greater than polyphenylether greater than C-ether greater than fluorinated polyether.

  7. Boundary lubrication, thermal and oxidative stability of a fluorinated polyether and a perfluoropolyether triazine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, W. R., Jr.; Snyder, C. E., Jr.

    1979-01-01

    Boundary lubricating characteristics, thermal stability, and oxidation-corrosion stability were determined for a fluorinated polyether and a perfluoropolyether triazine. A ball-on-disk apparatus, a tensimeter, and oxidation-corrosion apparatus were used. Results were compared to data for a polyphenyl ether and a C-ether. The polyether and triazine yielded better boundary lubricating characteristics than either the polyphenyl ether or C-ether. The polyphenyl ether had the greatest thermal stability (443 C) while the other fluids had stabilities in the range 389 to 397 C. Oxidation-corrosion results indicated the following order of stabilities: perfluoropolyether trizine greater than polyphenyl ether greater than C-ether greater than fluorinated polyether.

  8. Preliminary Results Obtained from Flight Test of a Rocket Model Having the Tail Only of the Grumman XF10F Airplane Configuration, TED No. NACA DE 354

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gardner, William N.; Edmondson, James L.

    1950-01-01

    A flight test was made to determine the servoplane effectiveness and stability characteristics of the free-floating horizontal stabilizer to be used on the XF10F airplane. The results of this test indicate that servoplane effectiveness is practically constant through the speed range up to a Mach number of 1.15, and the stabilizer static stability is satisfactory. A loss of damping occurs over a narrow Mach number range near M = 1.0, resulting in dynamic instability of the stabilizer in this narrow range. Above M = 1.0 there is a gradual positive trim change of the stabilizer.

  9. Summary of methods for calculating dynamic lateral stability and response and for estimating aerodynamic stability derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campbell, John P; Mckinney, Marion O

    1952-01-01

    A summary of methods for making dynamic lateral stability and response calculations and for estimating the aerodynamic stability derivatives required for use in these calculations is presented. The processes of performing calculations of the time histories of lateral motions, of the period and damping of these motions, and of the lateral stability boundaries are presented as a series of simple straightforward steps. Existing methods for estimating the stability derivatives are summarized and, in some cases, simple new empirical formulas are presented. Detailed estimation methods are presented for low-subsonic-speed conditions but only a brief discussion and a list of references are given for transonic and supersonic speed conditions.

  10. All-inside, anatomical lateral ankle stabilization for revision and complex primary lateral ankle stabilization: a technique guide.

    PubMed

    Prissel, Mark A; Roukis, Thomas S

    2014-12-01

    Lateral ankle instability is a common mechanical problem that often requires surgical management when conservative efforts fail. Historically, myriad open surgical approaches have been proposed. Recently, consideration for arthroscopic management of lateral ankle instability has become popular, with promising results. Unfortunately, recurrent inversion ankle injury following lateral ankle stabilization can occur and require revision surgery. To date, arthroscopic management for revision lateral ankle stabilization has not been described. We present a novel arthroscopic technique combining an arthroscopic lateral ankle stabilization kit with a suture anchor ligament augmentation system for revision as well as complex primary lateral ankle stabilization. © 2014 The Author(s).

  11. Effects of chloride additives on the mechanical stability and environmental durability of porous MgF2 thin films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schütz, F.; Scheurell, K.; Scholz, G.; Kemnitz, E.

    2016-09-01

    Porous antireflective thin films, prepared of nanoscopic MgF2 sols, exhibit a low refraction index and are useful for various optical applications. Due to their porosity, film stability and durability suffer from mechanical abrasion and water solubility, respectively. Hence, we present approaches of improved mechanical stability of MgF2 layers induced by chloride addition. Antireflective (AR) films were produced by dip-coating followed by thermal treatment. Afterwards, film stability and environmental durability was strained by crockmeter and water stability tests, respectively. In comparison to films prepared from chloride-free MgF2 sols, chloride mingled sols form coatings with increased mechanical stability and a lower solubility.

  12. Stability of holographic superconductors

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kanno, Sugumi; Soda, Jiro

    We study the dynamical stability of holographic superconductors. We first classify perturbations around black hole background solutions into vector and scalar sectors by means of a 2-dimensional rotational symmetry. We prove the stability of the vector sector by explicitly constructing the positive definite Hamiltonian. To reveal a mechanism for the stabilization of a superconducting phase, we construct a quadratic action for the scalar sector. From the action, we see the stability of black holes near a critical point is determined by the equation of motion for a charged scalar field. We show the effective mass of the charged scalar fieldmore » in hairy black holes is always above the Breitenlohner-Freedman bound near the critical point due to the backreaction of a gauge field. It implies the stability of the superconducting phase. We also argue that the stability continues away from the critical point.« less

  13. [The use of mood stabilizers in preventive treatment of patients with schizoaffective disorders].

    PubMed

    Chritinin, D F; Sumarokova, M A

    2014-01-01

    To study an effect of combination therapy consisting of mood stabilizers on the quality of remission in patients with schizoaffective disorders. Authors examined 56 outpatients with ICD-10 diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder (F25). Patients in remission received anti-relapse therapy with antipsychotics and were not treated with mood stabilizers for at least two years, and then they received a combined anti-relapse therapy, including both antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. The combined use of pharmacotherapy creates a better remission. No statistically significant differences in the effect of different groups of mood stabilizers on the average duration of remission are identified. The inclusion of mood stabilizers in the scheme of preventive treatment has no effect on the average duration of subsequent hospitalization. Mood stabilizers are effective in the prevention of suicidal behavior in patients with schizoaffective disorder, they reduce the risk of disability in patients with schizoaffective disorder and increase compliance.

  14. PARTIAL RESTRAINING FORCE INTRODUCTION METHOD FOR DESIGNING CONSTRUCTION COUNTERMESURE ON ΔB METHOD

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nishiyama, Taku; Imanishi, Hajime; Chiba, Noriyuki; Ito, Takao

    Landslide or slope failure is a three-dimensional movement phenomenon, thus a three-dimensional treatment makes it easier to understand stability. The ΔB method (simplified three-dimensional slope stability analysis method) is based on the limit equilibrium method and equals to an approximate three-dimensional slope stability analysis that extends two-dimensional cross-section stability analysis results to assess stability. This analysis can be conducted using conventional spreadsheets or two-dimensional slope stability computational software. This paper describes the concept of the partial restraining force in-troduction method for designing construction countermeasures using the distribution of the restraining force found along survey lines, which is based on the distribution of survey line safety factors derived from the above-stated analysis. This paper also presents the transverse distributive method of restraining force used for planning ground stabilizing on the basis of the example analysis.

  15. Tear thinning time and topical anesthesia as assessed using the HIRCAL grid and the NCCA.

    PubMed

    Blades, K J; Murphy, P J; Patel, S

    1999-03-01

    The literature contains conflicting reports of the effects of topical anesthetics on tear film stability, with some consensus that unpreserved topical anesthetics are less likely to reduce tear film stability than preserved preparations. This experiment investigated the effect of unpreserved 0.4% benoxinate hydrochloride on tear thinning time (TTT), in parallel with "real time" corneal sensitivity assessment. Tear film stability was assessed (HIRCAL grid) in parallel with real time assessment of the pharmacological activity (NCCA) of unpreserved 0.4% benoxinate hydrochloride in normal eyes. The anesthetic used did not significantly affect tear film stability. This finding is in agreement with previous investigators. Unpreserved 0.4% benoxinate hydrochloride could be used to facilitate tear film stability assessment. The experimental protocol used could also be applied to investigate the temporal relationship between anesthesia and tear film stability with preserved topical anesthetics that have been found to decrease tear film stability.

  16. Synchronisation and stability in river metapopulation networks.

    PubMed

    Yeakel, J D; Moore, J W; Guimarães, P R; de Aguiar, M A M

    2014-03-01

    Spatial structure in landscapes impacts population stability. Two linked components of stability have large consequences for persistence: first, statistical stability as the lack of temporal fluctuations; second, synchronisation as an aspect of dynamic stability, which erodes metapopulation rescue effects. Here, we determine the influence of river network structure on the stability of riverine metapopulations. We introduce an approach that converts river networks to metapopulation networks, and analytically show how fluctuation magnitude is influenced by interaction structure. We show that river metapopulation complexity (in terms of branching prevalence) has nonlinear dampening effects on population fluctuations, and can also buffer against synchronisation. We conclude by showing that river transects generally increase synchronisation, while the spatial scale of interaction has nonlinear effects on synchronised dynamics. Our results indicate that this dual stability - conferred by fluctuation and synchronisation dampening - emerges from interaction structure in rivers, and this may strongly influence the persistence of river metapopulations. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

  17. Stability of Polyphenols Epigallocatechin Gallate and Pentagalloyl Glucose in a Simulated Digestive System

    PubMed Central

    Krook, Melanie A.; Hagerman, Ann E.

    2012-01-01

    Polyphenols found in foods and beverages are under intense scrutiny for their potential beneficial effects on human health. We examined the stability of two bioactive polyphenols, epigallocatechin-O-gallate (EGCg) and 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranose (PGG), in a model digestive system at low oxygen tension with and without added digestive components and foods. Both compounds were stable at pH values of 5–6 and below, indicating gastric stability. Both compounds decomposed at pH 7.0. PGG was stabilized in a model system containing pepsin, pancreatin, bile and lipase, and/or baby food, but was not stabilized by dry cereal. EGCg was not stabilized by the addition of any biomolecule. The effects of polyphenols on human health should be evaluated in the context of their stability in the digestive tract with and without added digestive components and/or food. PMID:23028206

  18. Methods and apparatus for broadband frequency comb stabilization

    DOEpatents

    Cox, Jonathan A; Kaertner, Franz X

    2015-03-17

    Feedback loops can be used to shift and stabilize the carrier-envelope phase of a frequency comb from a mode-locked fibers laser or other optical source. Compared to other frequency shifting and stabilization techniques, feedback-based techniques provide a wideband closed-loop servo bandwidth without optical filtering, beam pointing errors, or group velocity dispersion. It also enables phase locking to a stable reference, such as a Ti:Sapphire laser, continuous-wave microwave or optical source, or self-referencing interferometer, e.g., to within 200 mrad rms from DC to 5 MHz. In addition, stabilized frequency combs can be coherently combined with other stable signals, including other stabilized frequency combs, to synthesize optical pulse trains with pulse durations of as little as a single optical cycle. Such a coherent combination can be achieved via orthogonal control, using balanced optical cross-correlation for timing stabilization and balanced homodyne detection for phase stabilization.

  19. Heat stabilization of blood spot samples for determination of metabolically unstable drug compounds

    PubMed Central

    Blessborn, Daniel; Sköld, Karl; Zeeberg, David; Kaewkhao, Karnrawee; Sköld, Olof; Ahnoff, Martin

    2014-01-01

    Background Sample stability is critical for accurate analysis of drug compounds in biosamples. The use of additives to eradicate the enzymatic activity causing loss of these analytes has its limitations. Results A novel technique for sample stabilization by rapid, high-temperature heating was used. The stability of six commercial drugs in blood and blood spots was investigated under various conditions with or without heat stabilization at 95°C. Oseltamivir, cefotaxime and ribavirin were successfully stabilized by heating whereas significant losses were seen in unheated samples. Amodiaquine was stable with and without heating. Artemether and dihydroartemisinin were found to be very heat sensitive and began to decompose even at 60°C. Conclusion Heat stabilization is a viable technique to maintain analytes in blood spot samples, without the use of chemical additives, by stopping the enzymatic activity that causes sample degradation. PMID:23256470

  20. The Hydromechanics of Vegetation for Slope Stabilization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mulyono, A.; Subardja, A.; Ekasari, I.; Lailati, M.; Sudirja, R.; Ningrum, W.

    2018-02-01

    Vegetation is one of the alternative technologies in the prevention of shallow landslide prevention that occurs mostly during the rainy season. The application of plant for slope stabilization is known as bioengineering. Knowledge of the vegetative contribution that can be considered in bioengineering was the hydrological and mechanical aspects (hydromechanical). Hydrological effect of the plant on slope stability is to reduce soil water content through transpiration, interception, and evapotranspiration. The mechanical impact of vegetation on slope stability is to stabilize the slope with mechanical reinforcement of soils through roots. Vegetation water consumption varies depending on the age and density, rainfall factors and soil types. Vegetation with high ability to absorb water from the soil and release into the atmosphere through a transpiration process will reduce the pore water stress and increase slope stability, and vegetation with deep root anchoring and strong root binding was potentially more significant to maintain the stability of the slope.

  1. Cognitive impairment, dementia, and personality stability among older adults

    PubMed Central

    Terracciano, Antonio; Stephan, Yannick; Luchetti, Martina; Sutin, Angelina R.

    2017-01-01

    There is contrasting evidence on personality stability in advanced age, and limited knowledge on the impact of cognitive impairment and dementia on trait stability. Group- and individual-level longitudinal analyses of the five major dimensions of personality assessed twice over 4-years (N = 9,935) suggest that rank-order stability was progressively lower with advancing age (from rtt = 0.68 for age 50–60 to rtt = 0.58 for age >80 years). Stability was low in the dementia group (rtt = 0.43), and this was not simply due to lower reliability given that internal consistency remained adequate in the dementia group. Among individuals with no cognitive impairment or dementia, there was no association between stability and age (rtt = 0.70 even for age >80). These results suggest that the lower personality stability in older adults is not due to age but cognitive impairment and dementia. PMID:29214858

  2. Nonlinear power flow feedback control for improved stability and performance of airfoil sections

    DOEpatents

    Wilson, David G.; Robinett, III, Rush D.

    2013-09-03

    A computer-implemented method of determining the pitch stability of an airfoil system, comprising using a computer to numerically integrate a differential equation of motion that includes terms describing PID controller action. In one model, the differential equation characterizes the time-dependent response of the airfoil's pitch angle, .alpha.. The computer model calculates limit-cycles of the model, which represent the stability boundaries of the airfoil system. Once the stability boundary is known, feedback control can be implemented, by using, for example, a PID controller to control a feedback actuator. The method allows the PID controller gain constants, K.sub.I, K.sub.p, and K.sub.d, to be optimized. This permits operation closer to the stability boundaries, while preventing the physical apparatus from unintentionally crossing the stability boundaries. Operating closer to the stability boundaries permits greater power efficiencies to be extracted from the airfoil system.

  3. No complexity–stability relationship in empirical ecosystems

    PubMed Central

    Jacquet, Claire; Moritz, Charlotte; Morissette, Lyne; Legagneux, Pierre; Massol, François; Archambault, Philippe; Gravel, Dominique

    2016-01-01

    Understanding the mechanisms responsible for stability and persistence of ecosystems is one of the greatest challenges in ecology. Robert May showed that, contrary to intuition, complex randomly built ecosystems are less likely to be stable than simpler ones. Few attempts have been tried to test May's prediction empirically, and we still ignore what is the actual complexity–stability relationship in natural ecosystems. Here we perform a stability analysis of 116 quantitative food webs sampled worldwide. We find that classic descriptors of complexity (species richness, connectance and interaction strength) are not associated with stability in empirical food webs. Further analysis reveals that a correlation between the effects of predators on prey and those of prey on predators, combined with a high frequency of weak interactions, stabilize food web dynamics relative to the random expectation. We conclude that empirical food webs have several non-random properties contributing to the absence of a complexity–stability relationship. PMID:27553393

  4. Application of Bounded Linear Stability Analysis Method for Metrics-Driven Adaptive Control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bakhtiari-Nejad, Maryam; Nguyen, Nhan T.; Krishnakumar, Kalmanje

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents the application of Bounded Linear Stability Analysis (BLSA) method for metrics-driven adaptive control. The bounded linear stability analysis method is used for analyzing stability of adaptive control models, without linearizing the adaptive laws. Metrics-driven adaptive control introduces a notion that adaptation should be driven by some stability metrics to achieve robustness. By the application of bounded linear stability analysis method the adaptive gain is adjusted during the adaptation in order to meet certain phase margin requirements. Analysis of metrics-driven adaptive control is evaluated for a second order system that represents a pitch attitude control of a generic transport aircraft. The analysis shows that the system with the metrics-conforming variable adaptive gain becomes more robust to unmodeled dynamics or time delay. The effect of analysis time-window for BLSA is also evaluated in order to meet the stability margin criteria.

  5. Assessment of Walking Stability of Elderly by Means of Nonlinear Time-Series Analysis and Simple Accelerometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ohtaki, Yasuaki; Arif, Muhammad; Suzuki, Akihiro; Fujita, Kazuki; Inooka, Hikaru; Nagatomi, Ryoichi; Tsuji, Ichiro

    This study presents an assessment of walking stability in elderly people, focusing on local dynamic stability of walking. Its main objectives were to propose a technique to quantify local dynamic stability using nonlinear time-series analyses and a portable instrument, and to investigate their reliability in revealing the efficacy of an exercise training intervention for elderly people for improvement of walking stability. The method measured three-dimensional acceleration of the upper body, and computation of Lyapunov exponents, thereby directly quantifying the local stability of the dynamic system. Straight level walking of young and elderly subjects was investigated in the experimental study. We compared Lyapunov exponents of young and the elderly subjects, and of groups before and after the exercise intervention. Experimental results demonstrated that the exercise intervention improved local dynamic stability of walking. The proposed method was useful in revealing effects and efficacies of the exercise intervention for elderly people.

  6. The Development of Adolescents' Emotional Stability and General Self-Concept: The Interplay of Parents, Peers, and Gender.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hay, Ian; Ashman, Adrian F.

    2003-01-01

    Gender differences associated with the development of adolescents' sense of general self-concept and emotional stability were investigated with 655 adolescents. Relationships with parents were important for males' emotional stability, but not females'. Peer relations were more influential in the formation of adolescents' emotional stability than…

  7. 7 CFR 58.142 - Product quality and stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... production of the highest quality of finished product and improve product stability. Milk should not be more... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Product quality and stability. 58.142 Section 58.142... Procedures § 58.142 Product quality and stability. The receiving, holding and processing of milk and cream...

  8. 46 CFR 45.103 - Structural stress and stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Structural stress and stability. 45.103 Section 45.103... Conditions of Assignment § 45.103 Structural stress and stability. (a) The nature and stowage of the cargo... structural stress. (b) The vessel must meet all applicable stability and subdivision requirements of this...

  9. Stabilizing oscillating universes against quantum decay

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mithani, Audrey T.; Vilenkin, Alexander, E-mail: audrey.todhunter@tufts.edu, E-mail: vilenkin@cosmos.phy.tufts.edu

    2015-07-01

    We investigate the effect of vacuum corrections, due to the trace anomaly and Casimir effect, on the stability of an oscillating universe with respect to decay by tunneling to the singularity. We find that these corrections do not generally stabilize an oscillating universe. However, stability may be achieved for some specially fine-tuned non-vacuum states.

  10. Next Generation Catalyst Engineering via Support Modification

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-01-21

    the effect of specific N functionalities on the stability of PtRu. DFT calculations show that N-defects such as pyrrolic and pyridinic N enhance the...stability of Pt in PtRu and that pyrrolic N improves the stability of PtRu by stabilizing both Pt and Ru. Hence, a balance between pyrrolic and

  11. Process for stabilizing the viscosity characteristics of coal derived materials and the stabilized materials obtained thereby

    DOEpatents

    Bronfenbrenner, James C.; Foster, Edward P.; Tewari, Krishna

    1985-01-01

    A process is disclosed for stabilizing the viscosity of coal derived materials such as an SRC product by adding up to 5.0% by weight of a light volatile phenolic viscosity repressor. The viscosity will remain stabilized for a period of time of up to 4 months.

  12. 46 CFR 178.320 - Intact stability requirements-non-sailing vessels.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... following vessels may undergo the simplified stability proof test detailed in § 178.330 of this part, in the... this part, a self-propelled pontoon vessel may undergo the pontoon simplified stability proof test... deck cargo, and is otherwise eligible to undergo the simplified stability proof test detailed in § 178...

  13. 46 CFR 178.320 - Intact stability requirements-non-sailing vessels.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... following vessels may undergo the simplified stability proof test detailed in § 178.330 of this part, in the... this part, a self-propelled pontoon vessel may undergo the pontoon simplified stability proof test... deck cargo, and is otherwise eligible to undergo the simplified stability proof test detailed in § 178...

  14. 46 CFR 178.320 - Intact stability requirements-non-sailing vessels.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... following vessels may undergo the simplified stability proof test detailed in § 178.330 of this part, in the... this part, a self-propelled pontoon vessel may undergo the pontoon simplified stability proof test... deck cargo, and is otherwise eligible to undergo the simplified stability proof test detailed in § 178...

  15. 46 CFR 178.320 - Intact stability requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... stability proof test in accordance with § 178.330 of this part in the presence of a Coast Guard marine inspector. (b) A pontoon vessel operating on protected waters must undergo a simplified stability proof test... cognizant OCMI may dispense with the simplified stability proof test in § 178.330 for a vessel carrying not...

  16. 46 CFR 45.103 - Structural stress and stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Structural stress and stability. 45.103 Section 45.103... Conditions of Assignment § 45.103 Structural stress and stability. (a) The nature and stowage of the cargo... structural stress. (b) The vessel must meet all applicable stability and subdivision requirements of this...

  17. 46 CFR 45.103 - Structural stress and stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Structural stress and stability. 45.103 Section 45.103... Conditions of Assignment § 45.103 Structural stress and stability. (a) The nature and stowage of the cargo... structural stress. (b) The vessel must meet all applicable stability and subdivision requirements of this...

  18. 46 CFR 45.103 - Structural stress and stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Structural stress and stability. 45.103 Section 45.103... Conditions of Assignment § 45.103 Structural stress and stability. (a) The nature and stowage of the cargo... structural stress. (b) The vessel must meet all applicable stability and subdivision requirements of this...

  19. 46 CFR 170.085 - Information required before a stability test.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Information required before a stability test. 170.085... STABILITY STABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INSPECTED VESSELS Plan Approval § 170.085 Information required... the information prescribed in § 170.185(g) must be submitted to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center...

  20. 30 CFR 56.3130 - Wall, bank, and slope stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Wall, bank, and slope stability. 56.3130... Mining Methods § 56.3130 Wall, bank, and slope stability. Mining methods shall be used that will maintain wall, bank, and slope stability in places where persons work or travel in performing their assigned...

  1. Gait Stability in Children with Cerebral Palsy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bruijn, Sjoerd M.; Millard, Matthew; van Gestel, Leen; Meyns, Pieter; Jonkers, Ilse; Desloovere, Kaat

    2013-01-01

    Children with unilateral Cerebral Palsy (CP) have several gait impairments, amongst which impaired gait stability may be one. We tested whether a newly developed stability measure (the foot placement estimator, FPE) which does not require long data series, can be used to asses gait stability in typically developing (TD) children as well as…

  2. 46 CFR 45.103 - Structural stress and stability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Structural stress and stability. 45.103 Section 45.103... Conditions of Assignment § 45.103 Structural stress and stability. (a) The nature and stowage of the cargo... structural stress. (b) The vessel must meet all applicable stability and subdivision requirements of this...

  3. Stabilizing oscillating universes against quantum decay

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mithani, Audrey T.; Vilenkin, Alexander

    We investigate the effect of vacuum corrections, due to the trace anomaly and Casimir effect, on the stability of an oscillating universe with respect to decay by tunneling to the singularity. We find that these corrections do not generally stabilize an oscillating universe. However, stability may be achieved for some specially fine-tuned non-vacuum states.

  4. LOX/Hydrocarbon Combustion Instability Investigation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jensen, R. J.; Dodson, H. C.; Claflin, S. E.

    1989-01-01

    The LOX/Hydrocarbon Combustion Instability Investigation Program was structured to determine if the use of light hydrocarbon combustion fuels with liquid oxygen (LOX) produces combustion performance and stability behavior similar to the LOX/hydrogen propellant combination. In particular methane was investigated to determine if that fuel can be rated for combustion instability using the same techniques as previously used for LOX/hydrogen. These techniques included fuel temperature ramping and stability bomb tests. The hot fire program probed the combustion behavior of methane from ambient to subambient temperatures. Very interesting results were obtained from this program that have potential importance to future LOX/methane development programs. A very thorough and carefully reasoned documentation of the experimental data obtained is contained. The hot fire test logic and the associated tests are discussed. Subscale performance and stability rating testing was accomplished using 40,000 lb. thrust class hardware. Stability rating tests used both bombs and fuel temperature ramping techniques. The test program was successful in generating data for the evaluation of the methane stability characteristics relative to hydrogen and to anchor stability models. Data correlations, performance analysis, stability analyses, and key stability margin enhancement parameters are discussed.

  5. Nineteen-month stability of Revised NEO Personality Inventory domain and facet scores in patients with personality disorders.

    PubMed

    Wilberg, Theresa; Karterud, Sigmund; Pedersen, Geir; Urnes, Øyvind; Costa, Paul T

    2009-03-01

    We lack knowledge of the temporal stability of major personality dimensions in patients with personality disorders (PDs). The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) is a self-report instrument that operationalizes the Five-Factor Model of personality. This study investigated the relative stability, mean level stability, and individual level stability of the NEO-PI-R scores in patients with PDs (n = 393) and patients with symptom disorders only (n = 131). The NEO-PI-R was administered at admission to short-term day treatment and after an average of 19 months. The results showed a moderate to high degree of stability of NEO-PI-R scale scores with no substantial difference in stability between patients with and without PD. Changes in NEO-PI-R scores were associated with changes in symptom distress. Neuroticism was the least stable domain. The study indicates that the Five-Factor Model of personality dimensions and traits are fairly stable in patients with PDs. The lower stability of Neuroticism may partly be explained by its inherent state aspects.

  6. Development of Low-Toxicity Wastewater Stabilization for Spacecraft Water Recovery Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mitchell, Julie L.; Adam, Niklas; Pickering, Karen D.; Alvarez, Giraldo N.

    2015-01-01

    Wastewater stabilization was an essential component of the spacecraft water cycle. The purpose of stabilizing wastewater was two-fold. First, stabilization prevents the breakdown of urea into ammonia, a toxic gas at high concentrations. Second, it prevents the growth of microorganisms, thereby mitigating hardware and water quality issues due to due biofilm and planktonic growth. Current stabilization techniques involve oxidizers and strong acids (pH=2) such as chromic and sulfuric acid, which are highly toxic and pose a risk to crew health. The purpose of this effort was to explore less toxic stabilization techniques, such as food-grade and commercial care preservatives. Additionally, certain preservatives were tested in the presence of a low-toxicity organic acid. Triplicate 300-milliliter volumes of urine were dosed with a predetermined quantity of stabilizer and stored for two weeks. During that time, pH, total organic carbon (TOC), ammonia, and turbidity were monitored. Those preservatives that showed the lowest visible microbial growth and stable pH were further tested in a six-month stability study. The results of the six-month study are also included in this paper.

  7. Development of Low-Toxicity Urine Stabilization for Spacecraft Water Recovery Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Adam, Niklas; Mitchell, Julie L.; Pickering, Karen D.

    2012-01-01

    Wastewater stabilization is an essential component of the spacecraft water cycle. The purpose of stabilizing wastewater is two-fold. First, stabilization prevents the breakdown of urea into ammonia, a toxic gas at high concentrations. Second, it prevents the growth of microorganisms, thereby mitigating hardware and water quality issues due to due biofilm and planktonic growth. Current stabilization techniques involve oxidizers and strong acids (pH=2) such as chromic and sulfuric acid, which are highly toxic and pose a risk to crew health. The purpose of this effort is to explore less toxic stabilization techniques, such as food-grade and commercial care preservatives. Additionally, certain preservatives were tested in the presence of a low-toxicity organic acid. Triplicate 300-mL volumes of urine were dosed with a predetermined quantity of stabilizer and stored for two weeks. During that time, pH, total organic carbon (TOC), ammonia, and turbidity were monitored. Those preservatives that showed the lowest visible microbial growth and stable pH were further tested in a six-month stability study. The results of the six-month study are also included in this paper.

  8. Development of Low-Toxicity Wastewater Stabilization for Spacecraft Water Recovery Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Adam, Niklas; Mitchell, Julie; Pickering, Karen; Carrier, Chris; Vega, Letty; Muirhead, Dean

    2014-01-01

    Wastewater stabilization was an essential component of the spacecraft water cycle. The purpose of stabilizing wastewater was two-fold. First, stabilization prevents the breakdown of urea into ammonia, a toxic gas at high concentrations. Second, it prevents the growth of microorganisms, thereby mitigating hardware and water quality issues due to due biofilm and planktonic growth. Current stabilization techniques involve oxidizers and strong acids (pH=2) such as chromic and sulfuric acid, which are highly toxic and pose a risk to crew health. The purpose of this effort was to explore less toxic stabilization techniques, such as food-grade and commercial care preservatives. Additionally, certain preservatives were tested in the presence of a low-toxicity organic acid. Triplicate 300-mL volumes of urine were dosed with a predetermined quantity of stabilizer and stored for two weeks. During that time, pH, total organic carbon (TOC), ammonia, and turbidity were monitored. Those preservatives that showed the lowest visible microbial growth and stable pH were further tested in a six-month stability study. The results of the six-month study are also included in this paper.

  9. Stability Analysis of an Encapsulated Microbubble against Gas Diffusion

    PubMed Central

    Katiyar, Amit; Sarkar, Kausik

    2009-01-01

    Linear stability analysis is performed for a mathematical model of diffusion of gases from an encapsulated microbubble. It is an Epstein-Plesset model modified to account for encapsulation elasticity and finite gas permeability. Although, bubbles, containing gases other than air is considered, the final stable bubble, if any, contains only air, and stability is achieved only when the surrounding medium is saturated or oversaturated with air. In absence of encapsulation elasticity, only a neutral stability is achieved for zero surface tension, the other solution being unstable. For an elastic encapsulation, different equilibrium solutions are obtained depending on the saturation level and whether the surface tension is smaller or higher than the elasticity. For an elastic encapsulation, elasticity can stabilize the bubble. However, imposing a non-negativity condition on the effective surface tension (consisting of reference surface tension and the elastic stress) leads to an equilibrium radius which is only neutrally stable. If the encapsulation can support net compressive stress, it achieves actual stability. The linear stability results are consistent with our recent numerical findings. Physical mechanisms for the stability or instability of various equilibriums are provided. PMID:20005522

  10. Local Dynamic Stability Associated with Load Carrying

    PubMed Central

    Lockhart, Thurmon E

    2013-01-01

    Objectives Load carrying tasks are recognized as one of the primary occupational factors leading to slip and fall injuries. Nevertheless, the mechanisms associated with load carrying and walking stability remain illusive. The objective of the current study was to apply local dynamic stability measure in walking while carrying a load, and to investigate the possible adaptive gait stability changes. Methods Current study involved 25 young adults in a biomechanics research laboratory. One tri-axial accelerometer was used to measure three-dimensional low back acceleration during continuous treadmill walking. Local dynamic stability was quantified by the maximum Lyapunov exponent (maxLE) from a nonlinear dynamics approach. Results Long term maxLE was found to be significant higher under load condition than no-load condition in all three reference axes, indicating the declined local dynamic stability associated with load carrying. Conclusion Current study confirmed the sensitivity of local dynamic stability measure in load carrying situation. It was concluded that load carrying tasks were associated with declined local dynamic stability, which may result in increased risk of fall accident. This finding has implications in preventing fall accidents associated with occupational load carrying. PMID:23515183

  11. A ring stabilizer for lean premixed turbulent flames

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Johnson, M.R.; Kostiuk, L.W.; Cheng, R.K.

    1998-08-01

    In previous experiments on conical flame behavior in microgravity, which were conducted in drop-towers and in airplanes, the use of a pilot flame was not an option. To permit combustion of stable lean premixed conical flames without a pilot, a ring stabilizer was developed. Although similar types of bluff-body stabilization have been used in the past, the ring stabilizer is somewhat unique. It is designed to fit inside the burner exit port and has demonstrated to be highly effective in stabilizing flames over a very wide range of conditions (including ultra-lean flames at high flow-rates) without adversely affecting flame emissions.more » Unlike a simple rod stabilizer or a stagnation flame system, the benefit of having the stabilizer conform to the burner port is that there is very little leakage of the unburned fuel. The purpose of this brief communication is to offer this simple and highly useful device to the combustion research community. Presented are highlights of a parametric study that measured the stabilization limits and pollutant emissions of several different rings, and demonstrated their potential for use in practical systems.« less

  12. Ince-Strutt stability charts for ship parametric roll resonance in irregular waves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Xiao; Yang, He-zhen; Xiao, Fei; Xu, Pei-ji

    2017-08-01

    Ince-Strutt stability chart of ship parametric roll resonance in irregular waves is conducted and utilized for the exploration of the parametric roll resonance in irregular waves. Ship parametric roll resonance will lead to large amplitude roll motion and even wreck. Firstly, the equation describing the parametric roll resonance in irregular waves is derived according to Grim's effective theory and the corresponding Ince-Strutt stability charts are obtained. Secondly, the differences of stability charts for the parametric roll resonance in irregular and regular waves are compared. Thirdly, wave phases and peak periods are taken into consideration to obtain a more realistic sea condition. The influence of random wave phases should be taken into consideration when the analyzed points are located near the instability boundary. Stability charts for different wave peak periods are various. Stability charts are helpful for the parameter determination in design stage to better adapt to sailing condition. Last, ship variables are analyzed according to stability charts by a statistical approach. The increase of the metacentric height will help improve ship stability.

  13. Long-term stability and properties of zirconia ceramics for heavy duty diesel engine components

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Larsen, D. C.; Adams, J. W.

    1985-01-01

    Physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of commercially available transformation-toughened zirconia are measured. Behavior is related to the material microstructure and phase assemblage. The stability of the materials is assessed after long-term exposure appropriate for diesel engine application. Properties measured included flexure strength, elastic modulus, fracture toughness, creep, thermal shock, thermal expansion, internal friction, and thermal diffusivity. Stability is assessed by measuring the residual property after 1000 hr/1000C static exposure. Additionally static fatigue and thermal fatigue testing is performed. Both yttria-stabilized and magnesia-stabilized materials are compared and contrasted. The major limitations of these materials are short term loss of properties with increasing temperature as the metastable tetragonal phase becomes more stable. Fine grain yttria-stabilized material (TZP) is higher strength and has a more stable microstructure with respect to overaging phenomena. The long-term limitation of Y-TZP is excessive creep deformation. Magnesia-stabilized PSZ has relatively poor stability at elevated temperature. Overaging, decomposition, and/or destabilization effects are observed. The major limitation of Mg-PSZ is controlling unwanted phase changes at elevated temperature.

  14. Nanoparticle-stabilized CO₂ foam for CO₂ EOR application

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Liu, Ning; Lee, Robert; Yu, Jianjia

    The purpose of this project was to develop nanoparticle-stabilized CO₂ foam for CO₂ -EOR application, in which nanoparticles instead of surfactants are used for stabilizing CO₂ foam to improve the CO₂ sweep efficiency and increase oil recovery. The studies included: (1) investigation of CO₂ foam generation nanoparticles, such as silica nanoparticles, and the effects of particle concentration and surface properties, CO₂/brine ratio, brine salinity, pressure, and temperature on foam generation and foam stability; (2) coreflooding tests to understand the nanoparticle-stabilized CO₂ foam for waterflooded residual oil recovery, which include: oil-free coreflooding experiments with nanoparticle-stabilized CO₂ foam to understand the transportationmore » of nanoparticles through the core; measurements of foam stability and CO₂ sweep efficiency under reservoir conditions to investigate temperature and pressure effects on the foam performance and oil recovery as well as the sweep efficiency in different core samples with different rock properties; and (3) long-term coreflooding experiments with the nanoparticle- stabilized CO₂ foam for residual oil recovery. Finally, the technical and economical feasibility of this technology was evaluated.« less

  15. Dynamic Imbalance Analysis and Stability Control of Galloping Gait for a Passive Quadruped Robot.

    PubMed

    Wang, Chunlei; Zhang, Ting; Wei, Xiaohui; Long, Yongjun; Wang, Shigang

    2015-01-01

    Some imbalance and balance postures of a passive quadruped robot with a simplified mathematical model are studied. Through analyzing the influence of the touchdown angle of the rear leg on the posture of the trunk during the flight phase, the stability criterion is concluded: the closer are the two moments which are the zero time of the pitching angle and the peak time of the center of mass, the better is the stability of the trunk posture during the flight phase. Additionally, the validity of the stability criterion is verified for the cat, greyhound, lion, racehorse, basset hound, and giraffe. Furthermore, the stability criterion is also applicable when the center of the mass of body is shifted. Based on the stability criterion, the necessary and sufficient condition of the galloping stability for the quadruped robot is proposed to attain a controlled thrust. The control strategy is designed by an optimization dichotomy algorithm for seeking the zero point of the balance condition. Through the control results, it is demonstrated that the imbalance posture of the trunk could be stabilized by adjusting the stiffness of four legs.

  16. MATLAB Stability and Control Toolbox Trim and Static Stability Module

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kenny, Sean P.; Crespo, Luis

    2012-01-01

    MATLAB Stability and Control Toolbox (MASCOT) utilizes geometric, aerodynamic, and inertial inputs to calculate air vehicle stability in a variety of critical flight conditions. The code is based on fundamental, non-linear equations of motion and is able to translate results into a qualitative, graphical scale useful to the non-expert. MASCOT was created to provide the conceptual aircraft designer accurate predictions of air vehicle stability and control characteristics. The code takes as input mass property data in the form of an inertia tensor, aerodynamic loading data, and propulsion (i.e. thrust) loading data. Using fundamental nonlinear equations of motion, MASCOT then calculates vehicle trim and static stability data for the desired flight condition(s). Available flight conditions include six horizontal and six landing rotation conditions with varying options for engine out, crosswind, and sideslip, plus three take-off rotation conditions. Results are displayed through a unique graphical interface developed to provide the non-stability and control expert conceptual design engineer a qualitative scale indicating whether the vehicle has acceptable, marginal, or unacceptable static stability characteristics. If desired, the user can also examine the detailed, quantitative results.

  17. Probabilistic stability analysis: the way forward for stability analysis of sustainable power systems.

    PubMed

    Milanović, Jovica V

    2017-08-13

    Future power systems will be significantly different compared with their present states. They will be characterized by an unprecedented mix of a wide range of electricity generation and transmission technologies, as well as responsive and highly flexible demand and storage devices with significant temporal and spatial uncertainty. The importance of probabilistic approaches towards power system stability analysis, as a subsection of power system studies routinely carried out by power system operators, has been highlighted in previous research. However, it may not be feasible (or even possible) to accurately model all of the uncertainties that exist within a power system. This paper describes for the first time an integral approach to probabilistic stability analysis of power systems, including small and large angular stability and frequency stability. It provides guidance for handling uncertainties in power system stability studies and some illustrative examples of the most recent results of probabilistic stability analysis of uncertain power systems.This article is part of the themed issue 'Energy management: flexibility, risk and optimization'. © 2017 The Author(s).

  18. Full-frame video stabilization with motion inpainting.

    PubMed

    Matsushita, Yasuyuki; Ofek, Eyal; Ge, Weina; Tang, Xiaoou; Shum, Heung-Yeung

    2006-07-01

    Video stabilization is an important video enhancement technology which aims at removing annoying shaky motion from videos. We propose a practical and robust approach of video stabilization that produces full-frame stabilized videos with good visual quality. While most previous methods end up with producing smaller size stabilized videos, our completion method can produce full-frame videos by naturally filling in missing image parts by locally aligning image data of neighboring frames. To achieve this, motion inpainting is proposed to enforce spatial and temporal consistency of the completion in both static and dynamic image areas. In addition, image quality in the stabilized video is enhanced with a new practical deblurring algorithm. Instead of estimating point spread functions, our method transfers and interpolates sharper image pixels of neighboring frames to increase the sharpness of the frame. The proposed video completion and deblurring methods enabled us to develop a complete video stabilizer which can naturally keep the original image quality in the stabilized videos. The effectiveness of our method is confirmed by extensive experiments over a wide variety of videos.

  19. Defying the activity-stability trade-off in enzymes: taking advantage of entropy to enhance activity and thermostability.

    PubMed

    Siddiqui, Khawar Sohail

    2017-05-01

    The biotechnological applications of enzymes are limited due to the activity-stability trade-off, which implies that an increase in activity is accompanied by a concomitant decrease in protein stability. This premise is based on thermally adapted homologous enzymes where cold-adapted enzymes show high intrinsic activity linked to enhanced thermolability. In contrast, thermophilic enzymes show low activity around ambient temperatures. Nevertheless, genetically and chemically modified enzymes are beginning to show that the activity-stability trade-off can be overcome. In this review, the origin of the activity-stability trade-off, the thermodynamic basis for enhanced activity and stability, and various approaches for escaping the activity-stability trade-off are discussed. The role of entropy in enhancing both the activity and the stability of enzymes is highlighted with a special emphasis placed on the involvement of solvent water molecules. This review is concluded with suggestions for further research, which underscores the implications of these findings in the context of productivity curves, the Daniel-Danson equilibrium model, catalytic antibodies, and life on cold planets.

  20. A Surface-Coupled Optical Trap with 1-bp Precision via Active Stabilization.

    PubMed

    Okoniewski, Stephen R; Carter, Ashley R; Perkins, Thomas T

    2017-01-01

    Optical traps can measure bead motions with Å-scale precision. However, using this level of precision to infer 1-bp motion of molecular motors along DNA is difficult, since a variety of noise sources degrade instrumental stability. In this chapter, we detail how to improve instrumental stability by (1) minimizing laser pointing, mode, polarization, and intensity noise using an acousto-optical-modulator mediated feedback loop and (2) minimizing sample motion relative to the optical trap using a three-axis piezo-electric-stage mediated feedback loop. These active techniques play a critical role in achieving a surface stability of 1 Å in 3D over tens of seconds and a 1-bp stability and precision in a surface-coupled optical trap over a broad bandwidth (Δf = 0.03-2 Hz) at low force (6 pN). These active stabilization techniques can also aid other biophysical assays that would benefit from improved laser stability and/or Å-scale sample stability, such as atomic force microscopy and super-resolution imaging.

  1. Aeromechanical stability of helicopters with composite rotor blades in forward flight

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Edward C.; Chopra, Inderjit

    1992-01-01

    The aeromechanical stability, including air resonance in hover, air resonance in forward flight, and ground resonance, of a helicopter with elastically tailored composite rotor blades is investigated. Five soft-inplane hingeless rotor configurations, featuring elastic pitch-lag, pitch-flap and extension-torsion couplings, are analyzed. Elastic couplings introduced through tailored composite blade spars can have a powerful effect on both air and ground resonance behavior. Elastic pitch-flap couplings (positive and negative) strongly affect body, rotor and dynamic inflow modes. Air resonance stability is diminished by elastic pitch-flap couplings in hover and forward flight. Negative pitch-lag elastic coupling has a stabilizing effect on the regressive lag mode in hover and forward flight. The negative pitch-lag coupling has a detrimental effect on ground resonance stability. Extension-torsion elastic coupling (blade pitch decreases due to tension) decreases regressive lag mode stability in both airborne and ground contact conditions. Increasing thrust levels has a beneficial influence on ground resonance stability for rotors with pitch-flap and extension-torsion coupling and is only marginally effective in improving stability of rotors with pitch-lag coupling.

  2. Neutral insulin solutions physically stabilized by addition of Zn2+.

    PubMed

    Brange, J; Havelund, S; Hommel, E; Sørensen, E; Kühl, C

    1986-01-01

    Commercial neutral insulin solutions, all of which contain 2-3 zinc atoms per hexameric unit of insulin, have a relatively limited physical stability when exposed to heat and movement, as for example in insulin infusion pumps. Physical stabilization of neutral insulin solutions has been obtained by addition of two extra Zn2+ per hexamer of insulin. This addition stabilizes porcine and human neutral solutions equally well and does not affect the chemical stability of the insulin. The stabilization is probably obtained by a further strengthening of the hexameric structure of insulin, so that the formation of insoluble insulin fibrils (via the dissociation into the insulin monomer or dimer) is impeded or prevented. The addition of an extra 2 Zn2+ has been shown to be without influence on the insulin immunogenicity in rabbits or on the rate of absorption after subcutaneous injection in diabetic patients. It is concluded that neutral insulin solution can be physically stabilized by addition of extra Zn2+ without affecting other qualities of the insulin preparation including chemical stability, immunogenicity, and duration of action after injection.

  3. The effect of the antioxidant on the properties of thiolated poly(aspartic acid) polymers in aqueous ocular formulations.

    PubMed

    Budai-Szűcs, Mária; Horvát, Gabriella; Gyarmati, Benjámin; Szilágyi, Barnabás Áron; Szilágyi, András; Berkó, Szilvia; Ambrus, Rita; Szabó-Révész, Piroska; Sandri, Giuseppina; Bonferoni, Maria Cristina; Caramella, Carla; Csányi, Erzsébet

    2017-04-01

    Thiolated polymers are a promising new group of excipients, but their stability against atmospheric oxidation has not been investigated in detail, and only a few efforts have been made to improve their stability. The oxidation of the thiol groups in solutions of thiolated polymers may result in a decrease of mucoadhesion and unpredictable in situ gelation. The aims of our work were to study the stability of aqueous solutions of thiolated polymers and the effects of stabilizing agents. We investigated thiolated poly(aspartic acid) polymers stabilized with dithiothreitol, glutathione or acetylcysteine. The effects of these antioxidants on the gel structure, mucoadhesion and drug release were determined by means of scanning electron microscopy, swelling, rheology, adhesion and drug release tests. It was concluded that the stability of polymer solutions containing antioxidants is sufficient for one day. Polymers stabilized with dithiotreitol demonstrated fast swelling and drug release, but weaker mucoadhesion as compared with the other samples. Polymers stabilized with glutathione displayed the weakest cohesive properties, resulting in fast and uncontrolled drug release and moderate mucoadhesion. Acetylcysteine-stabilized polymers exhibited an optimum cross-linked structure, with free thiol groups ensuring polymer-mucin interactions, resulting in the best mucoadhesive properties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Comparative leaching of six toxic metals from raw and chemically stabilized MSWI fly ash using citric acid.

    PubMed

    Wang, Huawei; Fan, Xinxiu; Wang, Ya-Nan; Li, Weihua; Sun, Yingjie; Zhan, Meili; Wu, Guizhi

    2018-02-15

    The leaching behavior of six typical toxic metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, Cu and Ni) from raw and chemically stabilized (phosphate and chelating agent) municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash were investigated using citric acid. Leaching tests indicated that phosphate stabilization can effectively decrease the leaching of Zn, Cd and Cr; whereas chelating agent stabilization shows a strong ability to lower the release of Pb, Cd and Cu, but instead increases the solubility of Zn and Cr at low pH conditions. Sequential extraction results suggested that the leaching of Pb, Zn and Cd in both the stabilized MSWI fly ash samples led to the decrease in Fe/Mn oxide fraction and the increase in exchangeable and carbonate fractions. The leaching of Cr was due to the decrease in exchangeable, carbonate and Fe/Mn oxide fractions in phosphate-stabilized and chelating agent-stabilized MSWI fly ash. The leaching of Cu in both stabilized MSWI fly ash was greatly ascribed to the decrease in Fe/Mn oxide and oxidisable fractions. Moreover, predicted curves by geochemical model indicated that both stabilized MSWI fly ash have the risk of releasing toxic metals under strong acid environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. The role of glycosylation and domain interactions in the thermal stability of human angiotensin-converting enzyme.

    PubMed

    O'Neill, Hester G; Redelinghuys, Pierre; Schwager, Sylva L U; Sturrock, Edward D

    2008-09-01

    The N and C domains of somatic angiotensin-converting enzyme (sACE) differ in terms of their substrate specificity, inhibitor profiling, chloride dependency and thermal stability. The C domain is thermally less stable than sACE or the N domain. Since both domains are heavily glycosylated, the effect of glycosylation on their thermal stability was investigated by assessing their catalytic and physicochemical properties. Testis ACE (tACE) expressed in mammalian cells, mammalian cells in the presence of a glucosidase inhibitor and insect cells yielded proteins with altered catalytic and physicochemical properties, indicating that the more complex glycans confer greater thermal stabilization. Furthermore, a decrease in tACE and N-domain N-glycans using site-directed mutagenesis decreased their thermal stability, suggesting that certain N-glycans have an important effect on the protein's thermodynamic properties. Evaluation of the thermal stability of sACE domain swopover and domain duplication mutants, together with sACE expressed in insect cells, showed that the C domain contained in sACE is less dependent on glycosylation for thermal stabilization than a single C domain, indicating that stabilizing interactions between the two domains contribute to the thermal stability of sACE and are decreased in a C-domain-duplicating mutant.

  6. Unraveling protein stabilization mechanisms: vitrification and water replacement in a glass transition temperature controlled system.

    PubMed

    Grasmeijer, N; Stankovic, M; de Waard, H; Frijlink, H W; Hinrichs, W L J

    2013-04-01

    The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of the two main mechanisms used to explain the stabilization of proteins by sugar glasses during drying and subsequent storage: the vitrification and the water replacement theory. Although in literature protein stability is often attributed to either vitrification or water replacement, both mechanisms could play a role and they should be considered simultaneously. A model protein, alkaline phosphatase, was incorporated in either inulin or trehalose by spray drying. To study the storage stability at different glass transition temperatures, a buffer which acts as a plasticizer, ammediol, was incorporated in the sugar glasses. At low glass transition temperatures (<50°C), the enzymatic activity of the protein strongly decreased during storage at 60°C. Protein stability increased when the glass transition temperature was raised considerably above the storage temperature. This increased stability could be attributed to vitrification. A further increase of the glass transition temperature did not further improve stability. In conclusion, vitrification plays a dominant role in stabilization at glass transition temperatures up to 10 to 20°C above storage temperature, depending on whether trehalose or inulin is used. On the other hand, the water replacement mechanism predominantly determines stability at higher glass transition temperatures. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Stability Testing of Herbal Drugs: Challenges, Regulatory Compliance and Perspectives.

    PubMed

    Bansal, Gulshan; Suthar, Nancy; Kaur, Jasmeen; Jain, Astha

    2016-07-01

    Stability testing is an important component of herbal drugs and products (HDPs) development process. Drugs regulatory agencies across the globe have recommended guidelines for the conduct of stability studies on HDPs, which require that stability data should be included in the product registration dossier. From the scientific viewpoint, numerous chemical constituents in an herbal drug are liable to varied chemical reactions under the influence of different conditions during its shelf life. These reactions can lead to altered chemical composition of HDP and consequently altered therapeutic profile. Many reports on stability testing of HDPs have appeared in literature since the last 10 years. A review of these reports reveals that there is wide variability in temperature (-80 to 100 °C), humidity (0-100%) and duration (a few hours-36 months) for stability assessment of HDPs. Of these, only 1% studies are conducted in compliance with the regulatory guidelines for stability testing. The present review is aimed at compiling all stability testing reports, understanding key challenges in stability testing of HDPs and suggesting possible solutions for these. The key challenges are classified as chemical complexity and biochemical composition variability in raw material, selection of marker(s) and influences of enzymes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Polymer Latex Stability Modification by Exposure to Hydrophobic Solvents.

    PubMed

    de Oliveira Cardoso A; Galembeck

    1998-08-01

    The stability of latex particles toward coagulation in the presence of salt is modified by swelling the latex with toluene and chloroform vapors. Short-term stability was determined by turbidimetric titrations, and the long-term stability was evaluated by adding latex and salt solutions, allowing the mixture to age for 24 or 48 h and determining the characteristics of the supernatant and of the sediment. Nine different latexes were examined, with variable results: in some cases, both apolar solvents stabilize the latex; in other cases, increased stability is induced by only one of the solvents, either toluene or chloroform. There is also coherence, but not a strict correlation, between the solvent effects on short- and long-term stability. For instance, in the case of a core-and-shell styrene-butyl methacrylate latex, chloroform has a small stabilizing effect in the titration experiment, but it prevents the formation of a coagulated latex sediment even 48 h after mixing latex and salt. Two hypotheses are discussed to account for these observations: (i) swelling solvents decrease the particles ability to dissipate the collision kinetic energy, so that particles collide but without joining each other; (ii) the solvents induce the release of trapped charged groups from the particle interior to the interface, enhancing the usual (electrostatic, steric, hydration) stability factors. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

  9. Attention Problems and Stability of WISC-IV Scores Among Clinically Referred Children.

    PubMed

    Green Bartoi, Marla; Issner, Jaclyn Beth; Hetterscheidt, Lesley; January, Alicia M; Kuentzel, Jeffrey Garth; Barnett, Douglas

    2015-01-01

    We examined the stability of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) scores among 51 diverse, clinically referred 8- to 16-year-olds (M(age) = 11.24 years, SD = 2.36). Children were referred to and tested at an urban, university-based training clinic; 70% of eligible children completed follow-up testing 12 months to 40 months later (M = 22.05, SD = 5.94). Stability for index scores ranged from .58 (Processing Speed) to .81 (Verbal Comprehension), with a stability of .86 for Full-Scale IQ. Subtest score stability ranged from .35 (Letter-Number Sequencing) to .81 (Vocabulary). Indexes believed to be more susceptible to concentration (Processing Speed and Working Memory) had lower stability. We also examined attention problems as a potential moderating factor of WISC-IV index and subtest score stability. Children with attention problems had significantly lower stability for Digit Span and Matrix Reasoning subtests compared with children without attention problems. These results provide support for the temporal stability of the WISC-IV and also provide some support for the idea that attention problems contribute to children producing less stable IQ estimates when completing the WISC-IV. We hope our report encourages further examination of this hypothesis and its implications.

  10. Modification and investigation of silica particles as a foam stabilizer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Qian; Zhou, Hua-lei; Song, Ying-xiao; Chang, Zhi-dong; Li, Wen-jun

    2017-02-01

    As a solid foam stabilizer, spherical silica particles with diameters ranging from 150 to 190 nm were prepared via an improved Stöber method and were subsequently modified using three different silane coupling agents to attain the optimum surface hydrophobicity of the particles. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and the measured contact angles were used to characterize the surface properties of the prepared particles. The foam stability was investigated by the foam drainage half-life and the expansion viscoelastic modulus of the liquid film. The results demonstrate that all of the modified silica nanoparticles effectively improve the foam stability. The surface hydrophobicity of the modified particles is found to be a key factor influencing the foam stability. The optimum contact angle of the particles lies in the approximate range from 50° to 55°. The modifier molecular structure used can also influence the stabilizing foam property of the solid particles. The foam system stabilized by (CH3)2SiCl2-modified silica particles exhibits the highest stability; its drainage half-life at maximum increases by 27% compared to that of the blank foam system and is substantially greater than those of the foam systems stabilized by KH570- and KH550-modified particles.

  11. Topical formulations with superoxide dismutase: influence of formulation composition on physical stability and enzymatic activity.

    PubMed

    Di Mambro, Valéria M; Borin, Maria F; Fonseca, Maria J V

    2003-04-24

    Three different topical formulations were supplemented with superoxide dismutase (SOD) and evaluated concerning physical and chemical stabilities in order to determine the most stable formulation that would maintain SOD activity. Physical stability was evaluated by storing the formulation at room temperature, and at 37 and 45 degrees C for 28 days. Samples were collected at 7-day intervals for assessment of rheological behavior. Chemical stability was evaluated by the measurement of enzymatic activity in formulations stored at room temperature and at 45 degrees C for 75 days. The formulations showed a pseudoplastic behavior, with a flow index of less than 1. There was no significant difference in the initial values of flow index, hysteresis loop or minimum apparent viscosity. The simple emulsion and the one stabilized with hydroxyethylcellulose showed decreased viscosity by the 21st day and with higher temperature, but no significant changes concerning the presence of SOD. Although there were no significant changes concerning storage time or temperature, the formulation stabilized with hydroxyethylcellulose showed a marked loss of SOD activity. The addition of SOD to the formulations studied did not affect their physical stability. Simple emulsions or emulsions stabilized with carboxypolymethylene seem to be better bases for enzyme addition than emulsion stabilized with hydroxyethylcellulose.

  12. Using the charge-stabilization technique in the double ionization potential equation-of-motion calculations with dianion references.

    PubMed

    Kuś, Tomasz; Krylov, Anna I

    2011-08-28

    The charge-stabilization method is applied to double ionization potential equation-of-motion (EOM-DIP) calculations to stabilize unstable dianion reference functions. The auto-ionizing character of the dianionic reference states spoils the numeric performance of EOM-DIP limiting applications of this method. We demonstrate that reliable excitation energies can be computed by EOM-DIP using a stabilized resonance wave function instead of the lowest energy solution corresponding to the neutral + free electron(s) state of the system. The details of charge-stabilization procedure are discussed and illustrated by examples. The choice of optimal stabilizing Coulomb potential, which is strong enough to stabilize the dianion reference, yet, minimally perturbs the target states of the neutral, is the crux of the approach. Two algorithms of choosing optimal parameters of the stabilization potential are presented. One is based on the orbital energies, and another--on the basis set dependence of the total Hartree-Fock energy of the reference. Our benchmark calculations of the singlet-triplet energy gaps in several diradicals show a remarkable improvement of the EOM-DIP accuracy in problematic cases. Overall, the excitation energies in diradicals computed using the stabilized EOM-DIP are within 0.2 eV from the reference EOM spin-flip values. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

  13. Intrarater test-retest reliability of static and dynamic stability indexes measurement using the Biodex Stability System during unilateral stance.

    PubMed

    Arifin, Nooranida; Abu Osman, Noor Azuan; Wan Abas, Wan Abu Bakar

    2014-04-01

    The measurements of postural balance often involve measurement error, which affects the analysis and interpretation of the outcomes. In most of the existing clinical rehabilitation research, the ability to produce reliable measures is a prerequisite for an accurate assessment of an intervention after a period of time. Although clinical balance assessment has been performed in previous study, none has determined the intrarater test-retest reliability of static and dynamic stability indexes during dominant single stance. In this study, one rater examined 20 healthy university students (female=12, male=8) in two sessions separated by 7 day intervals. Three stability indexes--the overall stability index (OSI), anterior/posterior stability index (APSI), and medial/ lateral stability index (MLSI) in static and dynamic conditions--were measured during single dominant stance. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error measurement (SEM) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. Test-retest ICCs for OSI, APSI, and MLSI were 0.85, 0.78, and 0.84 during static condition and were 0.77, 0.77, and 0.65 during dynamic condition, respectively. We concluded that the postural stability assessment using Biodex stability system demonstrates good-to-excellent test-retest reliability over a 1 week time interval.

  14. Paper Microzone Plates as Analytical Tools for Studying Enzyme Stability: A Case Study on the Stabilization of Horseradish Peroxidase Using Trehalose and SU-8 Epoxy Novolac Resin.

    PubMed

    Ganaja, Kirsten A; Chaplan, Cory A; Zhang, Jingyi; Martinez, Nathaniel W; Martinez, Andres W

    2017-05-16

    Paper microzone plates in combination with a noncontact liquid handling robot were demonstrated as tools for studying the stability of enzymes stored on paper. The effect of trehalose and SU-8 epoxy novolac resin (SU-8) on the stability of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was studied in both a short-term experiment, where the activity of various concentrations of HRP dried on paper were measured after 1 h, and a long-term experiment, where the activity of a single concentration of HRP dried and stored on paper was monitored for 61 days. SU-8 was found to stabilize HRP up to 35 times more than trehalose in the short-term experiment for comparable concentrations of the two reagents, and a 1% SU-8 solution was found to stabilize HRP approximately 2 times more than a 34% trehalose solution in both short- and long-term experiments. The results suggest that SU-8 is a promising candidate for use as an enzyme-stabilizing reagent for paper-based diagnostic devices and that the short-term experiment could be used to quickly evaluate the capacity of various reagents for stabilizing enzymes to identify and characterize new enzyme-stabilizing reagents.

  15. Effects of ionic strength and sugars on the aggregation propensity of monoclonal antibodies: influence of colloidal and conformational stabilities.

    PubMed

    Saito, Shuntaro; Hasegawa, Jun; Kobayashi, Naoki; Tomitsuka, Toshiaki; Uchiyama, Susumu; Fukui, Kiichi

    2013-05-01

    To develop a general strategy for optimizing monoclonal antibody (MAb) formulations. Colloidal stabilities of four representative MAbs solutions were assessed based on the second virial coefficient (B 2) at 20°C and 40°C, and net charges at different NaCl concentrations, and/or in the presence of sugars. Conformational stabilities were evaluated from the unfolding temperatures. The aggregation propensities were determined at 40°C and after freeze-thawing. The electrostatic potential of antibody surfaces was simulated for the development of rational formulations. Similar B 2 values were obtained at 20°C and 40°C, implying little dependence on temperature. B 2 correlated quantitatively with aggregation propensities at 40°C. The net charge partly correlated with colloidal stability. Salts stabilized or destabilized MAbs, depending on repulsive or attractive interactions. Sugars improved the aggregation propensity under freeze-thaw stress through improved conformational stability. Uneven and even distributions of potential surfaces were attributed to attractive and strong repulsive electrostatic interactions. Assessment of colloidal stability at the lowest ionic strength is particularly effective for the development of formulations. If necessary, salts are added to enhance the colloidal stability. Sugars further improved aggregation propensities by enhancing conformational stability. These behaviors are rationally predictable according to the surface potentials of MAbs.

  16. Stabilization of magnetic skyrmions by RKKY interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bezvershenko, Alla V.; Kolezhuk, Alexei K.; Ivanov, Boris A.

    2018-02-01

    We study the stabilization of an isolated magnetic skyrmion in a magnetic monolayer on a nonmagnetic conducting substrate via the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) exchange interaction. Two different types of the substrate are considered, usual normal metal and single-layer graphene. While the full stability analysis for skyrmions in the presence of the RKKY coupling requires a separate effort that is outside the scope of this work, we are able to study the radial stability (stability of a skyrmion against collapse) using variational energy estimates obtained within first-order perturbation theory, with the unperturbed Hamiltonian describing the isotropic Heisenberg magnet, and the two perturbations being the RKKY exchange and the easy-axis anisotropy. We show that a proper treatment of the long-range nature of the RKKY interaction leads to a qualitatively different stabilization scenario compared to previous studies, where solitons were stabilized by the frustrated exchange coupling (leading to terms with the fourth power of the magnetization gradients) or by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (described by terms linear in the magnetization gradients). In the case of a metallic substrate, the skyrmion stabilization is possible under restrictive conditions on the Fermi surface parameters, while in the case of a graphene substrate the stabilization is naturally achieved in several geometries with a lattice-matching of graphene and magnetic layer.

  17. Assessment of read and write stability for 6T SRAM cell based on charge plasma DLTFET

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anju; Yadav, Shivendra; Sharma, Dheeraj

    2018-03-01

    To overcome the process variations due to random dopant fluctuations (RDFs) and complex annealing techniques a charge plasma based doping less TFET (CP-DLTFET) device has been proposed for designing of 6T SRAM cell. The proposed device also benefited by subthreshold slope, low leakage current, and low power supply. In this paper, to avoid the dependency of stability parameters of SRAM cell to supply voltage (Vdd), here N-curve metrics has been analyzed to determine read and write stability. Because N-curve provides stability analysis in terms of voltage and current as well as it gives combine stability analysis with the facility of an inline tester. Further, analyzing the N-curve metrics for different Vdd, cell ratio, and pull-up ratio assist in designing the configuration of transistors for the better read and write stability. Power metrics of N-curve gives the knowledge about read and write stability instead of using four metrics (SINM, SVNM, WTV, and WTI) of N-curve. Finally, in the 6T CP-DLTFET SRAM cell, read and write stability is tested by the interface trap charges (ITCs). The performance parameter of the 6T CP-DLTFET SRAM cell provides considerable read and write stability with less fabrication complexity.

  18. Effects of audio coaching and visual feedback on the stability of respiration during radiotherapy.

    PubMed

    Baba, Fumiya; Tanaka, Satoshi; Nonogaki, Yoshinori; Hasegawa, Shinji; Nishihashi, Minami; Ayakawa, Shiho; Yamada, Maho; Shibamoto, Yuta

    2016-08-01

    The aim of this study is to compare the respiration-stabilizing abilities of audio coaching (AC) and AC with visual feedback (VF) with that of free breathing (FB). Ten healthy volunteers were told to breathe in FB, under AC and under AC + VF in random order. The standard deviation (SD) values of the respiratory cycle, the amplitude, the lowest points (exhalation), and the highest points (inhalation) of respiratory wave were used as indices of respiratory stability. Compared with FB, the AC method significantly improved respiratory cycle stability (p = 0.001). The AC + VF method improved the stability of the respiratory cycle, the amplitude and the lowest point of respiratory wave (all p < 0.001). In analyses of each subject's data, compared with FB, the AC method significantly improved the respiratory cycle stability in five subjects, and the AC + VF method improved the stability of the respiratory cycle, the amplitude and the lowest point of respiratory wave in 4, 5, and 4 subjects, respectively. In two cases, coaching did not improve respiratory stability. The AC + VF method had the most beneficial effects on respiratory stability. However, coaching is not necessarily effective in all cases. Therefore, the most suitable method should be chosen on an individual basis.

  19. Stabilization of Li Metal Anode in DMSO-Based Electrolytes via Optimization of Salt-Solvent Coordination for Li-O 2 Batteries

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Liu, Bin; Xu, Wu; Yan, Pengfei

    The conventional DMSO-based electrolyte (1 M lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) in DMSO) is unstable against the Li metal anode and therefore cannot be used directly in practical Li-O2 batteries. Here, we demonstrate that a highly concentrated electrolyte based on LiTFSI in DMSO (with a molar ratio of 1:3) can greatly improve the stability of the Li metal anode against DMSO and significantly improve the cycling stability of Li-O2 batteries. This highly concentrated electrolyte contains no free DMSO solvent molecules, but only complexes of (TFSI–)a-Li+-(DMSO)b (where a + b = 4), and thus enhances their stability with Li metal anodes. In addition,more » such salt-solvent complexes have higher Gibbs activation energy barriers than the free DMSO solvent molecules, indicating improved stability of the electrolyte against the attack of superoxide radical anions. Therefore, the stability of this highly concentrated electrolyte at both Li metal anodes and carbon-based air electrodes has been greatly enhanced, resulting in improved cyclic stability of Li-O2 batteries. The fundamental stability of the electrolyte with free-solvent against the chemical and electrochemical reactions can also be used to enhance the stability of other electrochemical systems.« less

  20. Phase stabilities at a glance: Stability diagrams of nickel dipnictides

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bachhuber, F.; School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland; Rothballer, J.

    2013-12-07

    In the course of the recent advances in chemical structure prediction, a straightforward type of diagram to evaluate phase stabilities is presented based on an expedient example. Crystal structures and energetic stabilities of dipnictides NiPn{sub 2} (Pn = N, P, As, Sb, Bi) are systematically investigated by first principles calculations within the framework of density functional theory using the generalized gradient approximation to treat exchange and correlation. These dipnictides show remarkable polymorphism that is not yet understood systematically and offers room for the discovery of new phases. Relationships between the concerned structures including the marcasite, the pyrite, the arsenopyrite/CoSb{sub 2},more » and the NiAs{sub 2} types are highlighted by means of common structural fragments. Electronic stabilities of experimentally known and related AB{sub 2} structure types are presented graphically in so-called stability diagrams. Additionally, competing binary phases are taken into consideration in the diagrams to evaluate the stabilities of the title compounds with respect to decomposition. The main purpose of the stability diagrams is the introduction of an image that enables the estimation of phase stabilities at a single glance. Beyond that, some of the energetically favored structure types can be identified as potential new phases.« less

  1. Application of extrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy for the high throughput formulation screening of aluminum-adjuvanted vaccines.

    PubMed

    Ausar, Salvador F; Chan, Judy; Hoque, Warda; James, Olive; Jayasundara, Kavisha; Harper, Kevin

    2011-02-01

    High throughput screening (HTS) of excipients for proteins in solution can be achieved by several analytical techniques. The screening of stabilizers for proteins adsorbed onto adjuvants, however, may be difficult due to the limited amount of techniques that can measure stability of adsorbed protein in high throughput mode. Here, we demonstrate that extrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy can be successfully applied to study the physical stability of adsorbed antigens at low concentrations in 96-well plates, using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) instrument. HTS was performed on three adjuvanted pneumococcal proteins as model antigens in the presence of a standard library of stabilizers. Aluminum hydroxide appeared to decrease the stability of all three proteins at relatively high and low pH values, showing a bell-shaped curve as the pH was increased from 5 to 9 with a maximum stability at near neutral pH. Nonspecific stabilizers such as mono- and disaccharides could increase the conformational stability of the antigens. In addition, those excipients that increased the melting temperature of adsorbed antigens could improve antigenicity and chemical stability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing an HTS technology amenable for low concentration of antigens adsorbed onto aluminum-containing adjuvants. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  2. Stability and instability of thermocapillary convection in models of the float-zone crystal-growth process

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Neitzel, G. P.

    1993-01-01

    This project was concerned with the determination of conditions of guaranteed stability and instability for thermocapillary convection in a model of the float-zone crystal-growth process. This model, referred to as the half-zone, was studied extensively, both experimentally and theoretically. Our own earlier research determined, using energy-stability theory, sufficient conditions for stability to axisymmetric disturbances. Nearly all results computed were for the case of a liquid with Prandtl Number Pr = 1. Attempts to compute cases for higher Prandtl numbers to allow comparison with the experimental results of other researchers were unsuccessful, but indicated that the condition guaranteeing stability against axisymmetric disturbances would be a value of the Marangoni number (Ma), significantly higher than that at which oscillatory convection was observed experimentally. Thus, additional results were needed to round out the stability picture for this model problem. The research performed under this grant consisted of the following: (1) computation of energy-stability limits for non-axisymmetric disturbances; (2) computation of linear-stability limits for axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric disturbances; (3) numerical simulation of the basic state for half- and full-zones with a deformable free surface; and (4) incorporation of radiation heat transfer into a model energy-stability problem. Each of these is summarized briefly below.

  3. Saltmarsh creek bank stability: Biostabilisation and consolidation with depth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Y.; Thompson, C. E. L.; Collins, M. B.

    2012-03-01

    The stability of cohesive sediments of a saltmarsh in Southern England was measured in the field and the laboratory using a Cohesive Strength Meter (CSM) and a shear vane apparatus. Cores and sediment samples were collected from two tidal creek banks, covered by Atriplex portulacoides (Sea Purslane) and Juncus maritimus (Sea Rush), respectively. The objectives of the study were to examine the variation of sediment stability throughout banks with cantilevers present and investigate the influence of roots and downcore consolidation on bank stability. Data on erosion threshold and shear strength were interpreted with reference to bank depth, sediment properties and biological influences. The higher average erosion threshold was from the Sea Purslane bank whilst the Sea Rush bank showed higher average vane shear strength. The vertical variation in core sediment stability was mainly affected by roots and downcore consolidation with depth. The data obtained from the bank faces revealed that vertical variations in both erosion threshold and vane shear strength were affected primarily by roots and algae. A quantitative estimate of the relative contributions of roots and downcore consolidation to bank sediment stability was undertaken using the bank stability data and sediment density data. This showed that roots contributed more to the Sea Purslane bank stability than downcore consolidation, whilst downcore consolidation has more pronounced effects on the Sea Rush bank stability.

  4. NL(q) Theory: A Neural Control Framework with Global Asymptotic Stability Criteria.

    PubMed

    Vandewalle, Joos; De Moor, Bart L.R.; Suykens, Johan A.K.

    1997-06-01

    In this paper a framework for model-based neural control design is presented, consisting of nonlinear state space models and controllers, parametrized by multilayer feedforward neural networks. The models and closed-loop systems are transformed into so-called NL(q) system form. NL(q) systems represent a large class of nonlinear dynamical systems consisting of q layers with alternating linear and static nonlinear operators that satisfy a sector condition. For such NL(q)s sufficient conditions for global asymptotic stability, input/output stability (dissipativity with finite L(2)-gain) and robust stability and performance are presented. The stability criteria are expressed as linear matrix inequalities. In the analysis problem it is shown how stability of a given controller can be checked. In the synthesis problem two methods for neural control design are discussed. In the first method Narendra's dynamic backpropagation for tracking on a set of specific reference inputs is modified with an NL(q) stability constraint in order to ensure, e.g., closed-loop stability. In a second method control design is done without tracking on specific reference inputs, but based on the input/output stability criteria itself, within a standard plant framework as this is done, for example, in H( infinity ) control theory and &mgr; theory. Copyright 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.

  5. Efficient affinity maturation of antibody variable domains requires co-selection of compensatory mutations to maintain thermodynamic stability

    PubMed Central

    Julian, Mark C.; Li, Lijuan; Garde, Shekhar; Wilen, Rebecca; Tessier, Peter M.

    2017-01-01

    The ability of antibodies to accumulate affinity-enhancing mutations in their complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) without compromising thermodynamic stability is critical to their natural function. However, it is unclear if affinity mutations in the hypervariable CDRs generally impact antibody stability and to what extent additional compensatory mutations are required to maintain stability during affinity maturation. Here we have experimentally and computationally evaluated the functional contributions of mutations acquired by a human variable (VH) domain that was evolved using strong selections for enhanced stability and affinity for the Alzheimer’s Aβ42 peptide. Interestingly, half of the key affinity mutations in the CDRs were destabilizing. Moreover, the destabilizing effects of these mutations were compensated for by a subset of the affinity mutations that were also stabilizing. Our findings demonstrate that the accumulation of both affinity and stability mutations is necessary to maintain thermodynamic stability during extensive mutagenesis and affinity maturation in vitro, which is similar to findings for natural antibodies that are subjected to somatic hypermutation in vivo. These findings for diverse antibodies and antibody fragments specific for unrelated antigens suggest that the formation of the antigen-binding site is generally a destabilizing process and that co-enrichment for compensatory mutations is critical for maintaining thermodynamic stability. PMID:28349921

  6. Comparison of the colloidal stability, bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity of corn protein hydrolysate and sodium caseinate stabilized curcumin nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yong-Hui; Yuan, Yang; Yang, Xiao-Quan; Wang, Jin-Mei; Guo, Jian; Lin, Yuan

    2016-07-01

    The aims of this work were to construct corn protein hydrolysate (CPH)-based curcumin nanoparticles (Cur NPs) and to compare the colloidal stability, bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity of the Cur NPs stabilized CPH and sodium caseinate (NaCas) respectively. The results indicated that Cur solubility could be considerably improved after the Cur NPs fabrication. The spectroscopy results demonstrated that the solubilization of Cur should be attributed to its complexation with CPH or NaCas. The Cur NPs exhibited good colloidal stability after 1 week's storage but showed smaller (40 nm) size in CPH than in NaCas (100 nm). After lyophilization, the Cur NPs powders showed good rehydration properties and chemical stability, and compared with NaCas, the size of Cur NPs stabilized by CPH was still smaller. Additionally, the Cur NPs exhibited higher chemical stability against the temperature compared with free Cur, and the CPH could protect Cur from degradation more efficiently. Comparing with NaCas, the Cur NPs stabilized by CPH exhibited better bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity. This study demonstrated that CPH may be better than NaCas in Cur NPs fabrication and it opens up the possibility of using hydrophobic protein hydrolysate to construct the NPs delivery system.

  7. Study on the stability of waterpower-speed control system for hydropower station with air cushion surge chamber

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, W. C.; Yang, J. D.; Chen, J. P.; Teng, Y.

    2014-03-01

    According to the fact that the effects of penstock, unit and governor on stability of water level fluctuation for hydropower station with air cushion surge chamber are neglected in previous researches, in this paper, Thoma assumption is broken through, the complete mathematical model of waterpower-speed control system for hydropower station with air cushion surge chamber is established, and the comprehensive transfer function and linear homogeneous differential equation that characterize the dynamic characteristics of system are derived. The stability domain that characterizes the good or bad of stability quantitatively is drawn by using the stability conditions. The effects of the fluid inertia in water diversion system, the air cushion surge chamber parameters, hydraulic turbine characteristics, generator characteristics, and regulation modes of governor on the stability of waterpower-speed control system are analyzed through stability domain. The main conclusions are as follows: The fluid inertia in water diversion system and hydraulic turbine characteristics have unfavorable effects on the system while generator characteristics have favorable effect. The stability keeps getting better with the increase of chamber height and basal area and the decrease of air pressure and air polytropic exponent. The stability of power regulation mode is obviously better than that of frequency regulation mode.

  8. Patterns of international normalized ratio values among new warfarin patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

    PubMed

    Nelson, Winnie W; Milentijevic, Dejan; Wang, Li; Baser, Onur; Damaraju, C V; Schein, Jeffrey R

    2016-12-01

    Limited information exists regarding the relationship between international normalized ratio (INR) control/stability and the discontinuation of warfarin therapy among patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This study evaluated the association between INR stabilization and warfarin discontinuation and assessed INR patterns before and after INR stabilization among patients (≥18 years) with NVAF who newly initiated warfarin (Veterans Health Administration datasets; October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2012). Achievement of INR stabilization (≥3 consecutive in-range therapeutic INR measurements ≥7 days apart) was examined from warfarin initiation through the end of warfarin exposure. Proportion of time in therapeutic range during warfarin exposure was calculated (Rosendaal method) and categorized as at least 60% or less than 60%. Among 34 346 patients, 49.4% achieved INR stabilization (mean time to stabilization, 98 days). Approximately 40% of INR values were out-of-range, even after achieving stabilization. During 30 days following an INR 4.0 or higher, patients had more INR testing than the overall mean (2.51 vs. 1.67 tests). Warfarin discontinuation was 4.2 times more likely among patients without INR stabilization versus those with INR stabilization (P < 0.00001). Patients with poor INR control (time in therapeutic range <60%) were 1.76 times more likely to discontinue warfarin within 1 year (P < 0.0001). INR stabilization is a better predictor of warfarin discontinuation than poor INR control. Improved approaches are necessary to maintain appropriate anticoagulation levels among patients with NVAF.

  9. Amorphization strategy affects the stability and supersaturation profile of amorphous drug nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Cheow, Wean Sin; Kiew, Tie Yi; Yang, Yue; Hadinoto, Kunn

    2014-05-05

    Amorphous drug nanoparticles have recently emerged as a promising bioavailability enhancement strategy of poorly soluble drugs attributed to the high supersaturation solubility generated by the amorphous state and fast dissolution afforded by the nanoparticles. Herein we examine the effects of two amorphization strategies in the nanoscale, i.e., (1) molecular mobility restrictions and (2) high energy surface occupation, both by polymer excipient stabilizers, on the (i) morphology, (ii) colloidal stability, (iii) drug loading, (iv) amorphous state stability after three-month storage, and (v) in vitro supersaturation profiles, using itraconazole (ITZ) as the model drug. Drug-polyelectrolyte complexation is employed in the first strategy to prepare amorphous ITZ nanoparticles using dextran sulfate as the polyelectrolyte (ITZ nanoplex), while the second strategy employs pH-shift precipitation using hydroxypropylmethylcellulose as the surface stabilizer (nano-ITZ), with both strategies resulting in >90% ITZ utilization. Both amorphous ITZ nanoparticles share similar morphology (∼300 nm spheres) with the ITZ nanoplex exhibiting better colloidal stability, albeit at lower ITZ loading (65% versus 94%), due to the larger stabilizer amount used. The ITZ nanoplex also exhibits superior amorphous state stability, attributed to the ITZ molecular mobility restriction by electrostatic complexation with dextran sulfate. The higher stability, however, is obtained at the expense of slower supersaturation generation, which is maintained over a prolonged period, compared to the nano-ITZ. The present results signify the importance of selecting the optimal amorphization strategy, in addition to formulating the excipient stabilizers, to produce amorphous drug nanoparticles having the desired characteristics.

  10. Correlations between physical properties of jawbone and dental implant initial stability.

    PubMed

    Seong, Wook-Jin; Kim, Uk-Kyu; Swift, James Q; Hodges, James S; Ko, Ching-Chang

    2009-05-01

    There is confusion in the literature about how physical properties of bone vary between maxillary and mandibular regions and which physical properties affect initial implant stability. The purpose of this study was to determine correlations between physical properties of bone and initial implant stability, and to determine how physical properties and initial stability vary among regions of jawbone. Four pairs of edentulous maxillae and mandibles were retrieved from fresh human cadavers. Six implants per pair were placed in different anatomical regions (maxillary anterior, right and left maxillary posterior, mandibular anterior, right and left mandibular posterior). Immediately after surgery, initial implant stability was measured with a resonance frequency device and a tapping device. Implant surgeries and initial stability measurements were performed within 72 hours of death. Elastic modulus (EM) and hardness were measured using nano-indentation. Composite apparent density (cAD) was measured using Archimedes' principle. Bone-implant contact percentage and cortical bone thickness were recorded histomorphometrically. Mixed linear models and univariate-correlation analyses were used (alpha=.05). Generally, mandibular bone had higher initial implant stability and physical properties than maxillary bone. Initial implant stability was higher in the anterior region than in the posterior. EM was higher in the posterior region than in the anterior; the reverse was true for cAD. Of the properties evaluated, cAD had the highest correlation with initial implant stability (r=0.82). Both physical properties of bone and initial implant stability differed between regions of jawbone.

  11. LMI-based stability and performance conditions for continuous-time nonlinear systems in Takagi-Sugeno's form.

    PubMed

    Lam, H K; Leung, Frank H F

    2007-10-01

    This correspondence presents the stability analysis and performance design of the continuous-time fuzzy-model-based control systems. The idea of the nonparallel-distributed-compensation (non-PDC) control laws is extended to the continuous-time fuzzy-model-based control systems. A nonlinear controller with non-PDC control laws is proposed to stabilize the continuous-time nonlinear systems in Takagi-Sugeno's form. To produce the stability-analysis result, a parameter-dependent Lyapunov function (PDLF) is employed. However, two difficulties are usually encountered: 1) the time-derivative terms produced by the PDLF will complicate the stability analysis and 2) the stability conditions are not in the form of linear-matrix inequalities (LMIs) that aid the design of feedback gains. To tackle the first difficulty, the time-derivative terms are represented by some weighted-sum terms in some existing approaches, which will increase the number of stability conditions significantly. In view of the second difficulty, some positive-definitive terms are added in order to cast the stability conditions into LMIs. In this correspondence, the favorable properties of the membership functions and nonlinear control laws, which allow the introduction of some free matrices, are employed to alleviate the two difficulties while retaining the favorable properties of PDLF-based approach. LMI-based stability conditions are derived to ensure the system stability. Furthermore, based on a common scalar performance index, LMI-based performance conditions are derived to guarantee the system performance. Simulation examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

  12. Impact of reduced tillage and organic inputs on aggregate stability and earthworm community in a Breton context in France

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paillat, Louise; Menasseri, Safya; Busnot, Sylvain; Roucaute, Marc; Benard, Yannick; Morvan, Thierry; Pérès, Guénola

    2017-04-01

    Soil aggregate stability, which refers to the ability of soil aggregates to resist breakdown when disruptive forces are applied (water, wind), is a good indicator of the sensitivity of soil to crusting and erosion and is a relevant indicator for soil stability. Within soil parameters which affect soil stability, organic matter is one of the main important by functioning as bonding agent between mineral soil particles, but soil organisms such as microorganisms and earthworms are also recognized as efficient agents. However the relationship between earthworms, fungal hyphae and aggregation is still unclear. In order to assess the influence of these biological agents on aggregate dynamics, we have combined a field study and a laboratory experiment. On a long term experiment trial in Brittany, SOERE PRO-EFELE, we have studied the effect of reduced tillage (vs. conventional tillage) combined to organic inputs (vs. mineral inputs) on earthworm community and soil stability. Aggregate stability was measured at different perturbations intensities: fast wetting (FW), slow wetting (SW) and mechanical breakdown (MB). This study showed that after 4 years of experiments, reduced tillage and organic inputs enhanced aggregate stability. Earthworms modulated aggregation process: endogeics reduced FW stability (mechanical binding by hyphae) and anecics increased SW stability (aggregate interparticular cohesion and hydrophobicity). Some precisions were provided by the laboratory experiment, using microcosms, which compared casts of the endogeic Aporectodea c. caliginosa (NCCT) and the anecic Lumbricus terrestris (LT). The presumed hyphae fragmentation by endogeics could not be highlight in NCCT casts. Nevertheless, hyphae were more abundant and C content and aggregate stability were higher in LT casts corroborating the positive contribution of anecics to aggregate stability.

  13. Stability and stability degree of a cracked flexible rotor supported on journal bearings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meng, Guang; Gasch, Robert

    1994-01-01

    This paper investigates the stability and the stability degree of a flexible cracked rotor supported on different kinds of journal bearings. It is found that no matter what kind of bearings is used, the unstable zones caused by rotor crack locate always within the speed ratio (2/N) (1 - Delta K(sub xi)/4) is less than Omega is less than 2/N when gravity parameter W(sub R) is greater than 1.0, and locate always within the speed ratio (2 Omega(sub alpha)/N) (1 - Delta K(sub xi)/4) is less than Omega is less than 2 Omega(sub alpha)/N when W(sub R) is less than 0.1, where Delta K(sub xi) is the crack stiffness ratio, N = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ..., and Omega(sub alpha) = ((1 + 2 alpha)/2 alpha)(exp 1/2). When 0.1 is less than W(sub R) is less than 1.0, there is a region where no unstable zones caused by rotor crack exist. Outside the crack ridge zones, the rotor crack has almost no influence on system's stability and stability degree; while within the crack ridge zones, the stability and stability degree depend both on the crack and system's parameters. In some cases, the system may still be stable even when the crack is very large. For small gravity parameter (W(sub R) is less than 0.1), the mass ratio alpha has large influence on the position of unstable region, but its influence on the stability degree is small. The influence of fixed Sommerfeld number S(sub 0) on the crack stability degree is small although S(sub 0) has large influence on the stability degree of uncracked rotor.

  14. Investigating homology between proteins using energetic profiles.

    PubMed

    Wrabl, James O; Hilser, Vincent J

    2010-03-26

    Accumulated experimental observations demonstrate that protein stability is often preserved upon conservative point mutation. In contrast, less is known about the effects of large sequence or structure changes on the stability of a particular fold. Almost completely unknown is the degree to which stability of different regions of a protein is generally preserved throughout evolution. In this work, these questions are addressed through thermodynamic analysis of a large representative sample of protein fold space based on remote, yet accepted, homology. More than 3,000 proteins were computationally analyzed using the structural-thermodynamic algorithm COREX/BEST. Estimated position-specific stability (i.e., local Gibbs free energy of folding) and its component enthalpy and entropy were quantitatively compared between all proteins in the sample according to all-vs.-all pairwise structural alignment. It was discovered that the local stabilities of homologous pairs were significantly more correlated than those of non-homologous pairs, indicating that local stability was indeed generally conserved throughout evolution. However, the position-specific enthalpy and entropy underlying stability were less correlated, suggesting that the overall regional stability of a protein was more important than the thermodynamic mechanism utilized to achieve that stability. Finally, two different types of statistically exceptional evolutionary structure-thermodynamic relationships were noted. First, many homologous proteins contained regions of similar thermodynamics despite localized structure change, suggesting a thermodynamic mechanism enabling evolutionary fold change. Second, some homologous proteins with extremely similar structures nonetheless exhibited different local stabilities, a phenomenon previously observed experimentally in this laboratory. These two observations, in conjunction with the principal conclusion that homologous proteins generally conserved local stability, may provide guidance for a future thermodynamically informed classification of protein homology.

  15. Antioxidant activity and emulsion-stabilizing effect of pectic enzyme treated pectin in soy protein isolate-stabilized oil/water emulsion.

    PubMed

    Huang, Ping-Hsiu; Lu, Hao-Te; Wang, Yuh-Tai; Wu, Ming-Chang

    2011-09-14

    The antioxidant activity of pectic enzyme treated pectin (PET-pectin) prepared from citrus pectin by enzymatic hydrolysis and its potential use as a stabilizer and an antioxidant for soy protein isolate (SPI)-stabilized oil in water (O/W) emulsion were investigated. Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) was found to be positively associated with molecular weight (M(w)) of PET-pectin and negatively associated with degree of esterification (DE) of PET-pectin. PET-pectin (1 kDa and 11.6% DE) prepared from citrus pectin after 24 h of hydrolysis by commercial pectic enzyme produced by Aspergillus niger expressed higher α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, TEAC, and reducing power than untreated citrus pectin (353 kDa and 60% DE). The addition of PET-pectin could increase both emulsifying activity (EA) and emulsion stability (ES) of SPI-stabilized O/W emulsion. When the SPI-stabilized lipid droplet was coated with the mixture of PET-pectin and pectin, the EA and ES of the emulsion were improved more than they were when the lipid droplet was coated with either pectin or PET-pectin alone. The amount of secondary oxidation products (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) produced in the emulsion prepared with the mixture of SPI and PET-pectin was less than the amount produced in the emulsion prepared with either SPI or SPI/pectin. These results suggest that PET-pectin has an emulsion-stabilizing effect and lipid oxidation inhibition ability on SPI-stabilized emulsion. Therefore, PET-pectin can be used as a stabilizer as well as an antioxidant in plant origin in SPI-stabilized O/W emulsion and thus prolong the shelf life of food emulsion.

  16. The beauty of simple adaptive control and new developments in nonlinear systems stability analysis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Barkana, Itzhak, E-mail: ibarkana@gmail.com

    Although various adaptive control techniques have been around for a long time and in spite of successful proofs of stability and even successful demonstrations of performance, the eventual use of adaptive control methodologies in practical real world systems has met a rather strong resistance from practitioners and has remained limited. Apparently, it is difficult to guarantee or even understand the conditions that can guarantee stable operations of adaptive control systems under realistic operational environments. Besides, it is difficult to measure the robustness of adaptive control system stability and allow it to be compared with the common and widely used measuremore » of phase margin and gain margin that is utilized by present, mainly LTI, controllers. Furthermore, customary stability analysis methods seem to imply that the mere stability of adaptive systems may be adversely affected by any tiny deviation from the pretty idealistic and assumably required stability conditions. This paper first revisits the fundamental qualities of customary direct adaptive control methodologies, in particular the classical Model Reference Adaptive Control, and shows that some of their basic drawbacks have been addressed and eliminated within the so-called Simple Adaptive Control methodology. Moreover, recent developments in the stability analysis methods of nonlinear systems show that prior conditions that were customarily assumed to be needed for stability are only apparent and can be eliminated. As a result, sufficient conditions that guarantee stability are clearly stated and lead to similarly clear proofs of stability. As many real-world applications show, once robust stability of the adaptive systems can be guaranteed, the added value of using Add-On Adaptive Control along with classical Control design techniques is pushing the desired performance beyond any previous limits.« less

  17. Bias-Voltage Stabilizer for HVHF Amplifiers in VHF Pulse-Echo Measurement Systems.

    PubMed

    Choi, Hojong; Park, Chulwoo; Kim, Jungsuk; Jung, Hayong

    2017-10-23

    The impact of high-voltage-high-frequency (HVHF) amplifiers on echo-signal quality is greater with very-high-frequency (VHF, ≥100 MHz) ultrasound transducers than with low-frequency (LF, ≤15 MHz) ultrasound transducers. Hence, the bias voltage of an HVHF amplifier must be stabilized to ensure stable echo-signal amplitudes. We propose a bias-voltage stabilizer circuit to maintain stable DC voltages over a wide input range, thus reducing the harmonic-distortion components of the echo signals in VHF pulse-echo measurement systems. To confirm the feasibility of the bias-voltage stabilizer, we measured and compared the deviations in the gain of the HVHF amplifier with and without a bias-voltage stabilizer. Between -13 and 26 dBm, the measured gain deviations of a HVHF amplifier with a bias-voltage stabilizer are less than that of an amplifier without a bias-voltage stabilizer. In order to confirm the feasibility of the bias-voltage stabilizer, we compared the pulse-echo responses of the amplifiers, which are typically used for the evaluation of transducers or electronic components used in pulse-echo measurement systems. From the responses, we observed that the amplitudes of the echo signals of a VHF transducer triggered by the HVHF amplifier with a bias-voltage stabilizer were higher than those of the transducer triggered by the HVHF amplifier alone. The second, third, and fourth harmonic-distortion components of the HVHF amplifier with the bias-voltage stabilizer were also lower than those of the HVHF amplifier alone. Hence, the proposed scheme is a promising method for stabilizing the bias voltage of an HVHF amplifier, and improving the echo-signal quality of VHF transducers.

  18. Influence of vision on head stabilization strategies in older adults during walking.

    PubMed

    Cromwell, Ronita L; Newton, Roberta A; Forrest, Gail

    2002-07-01

    Maintaining balance during dynamic activities is essential for preventing falls in older adults. Head stabilization contributes to dynamic balance, especially during the functional task of walking. Head stability and the role of vision in this process have not been studied during walking in older adults. Seventeen older adults (76.2 +/- 6.9 years) and 20 young adults (26.0 +/- 3.4 years) walked with their eyes open (EO), with their eyes closed (EC), and with fixed gaze (FG). Participants performed three trials of each condition. Sagittal plane head and trunk angular velocities in space were obtained using an infrared camera system with passive reflective markers. Frequency analyses of head-on-trunk with respect to trunk gains and phases were examined for head-trunk movement strategies used for head stability. Average walking velocity, cadence, and peak head velocity were calculated for each condition. Differences between age groups demonstrated that older adults decreased walking velocity in EO (p =.022). FG (p = .021), and EC (p = .022). and decreased cadence during EC (p = .007). Peak head velocity also decreased across conditions (p < .0001) for older adults. Movement patterns demonstrated increased head stability during EO. diminished head stability with EC, and improved head stability with FG as older adult patterns resembled those of young adults. Increased stability of the lower extremity outcome measures for older adults was indicated by reductions in walking velocity and cadence. Concomitant increases in head stability were related to visual tasks. Increased stability may serve as a protective mechanism to prevent falls. Further, vision facilitates the head stabilization process for older adults to compensate for age-related decrements in other sensory systems subserving dynamic balance.

  19. Bias-Voltage Stabilizer for HVHF Amplifiers in VHF Pulse-Echo Measurement Systems

    PubMed Central

    Choi, Hojong; Park, Chulwoo; Kim, Jungsuk; Jung, Hayong

    2017-01-01

    The impact of high-voltage–high-frequency (HVHF) amplifiers on echo-signal quality is greater with very-high-frequency (VHF, ≥100 MHz) ultrasound transducers than with low-frequency (LF, ≤15 MHz) ultrasound transducers. Hence, the bias voltage of an HVHF amplifier must be stabilized to ensure stable echo-signal amplitudes. We propose a bias-voltage stabilizer circuit to maintain stable DC voltages over a wide input range, thus reducing the harmonic-distortion components of the echo signals in VHF pulse-echo measurement systems. To confirm the feasibility of the bias-voltage stabilizer, we measured and compared the deviations in the gain of the HVHF amplifier with and without a bias-voltage stabilizer. Between −13 and 26 dBm, the measured gain deviations of a HVHF amplifier with a bias-voltage stabilizer are less than that of an amplifier without a bias-voltage stabilizer. In order to confirm the feasibility of the bias-voltage stabilizer, we compared the pulse-echo responses of the amplifiers, which are typically used for the evaluation of transducers or electronic components used in pulse-echo measurement systems. From the responses, we observed that the amplitudes of the echo signals of a VHF transducer triggered by the HVHF amplifier with a bias-voltage stabilizer were higher than those of the transducer triggered by the HVHF amplifier alone. The second, third, and fourth harmonic-distortion components of the HVHF amplifier with the bias-voltage stabilizer were also lower than those of the HVHF amplifier alone. Hence, the proposed scheme is a promising method for stabilizing the bias voltage of an HVHF amplifier, and improving the echo-signal quality of VHF transducers. PMID:29065526

  20. Biomechanics of unilateral and bilateral sacroiliac joint stabilization: laboratory investigation.

    PubMed

    Lindsey, Derek P; Parrish, Robin; Gundanna, Mukund; Leasure, Jeremi; Yerby, Scott A; Kondrashov, Dimitriy

    2018-03-01

    OBJECTIVE Bilateral symptoms have been reported in 8%-35% of patients with sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction. Stabilization of a single SI joint may significantly alter the stresses on the contralateral SI joint. If the contralateral SI joint stresses are significantly increased, degeneration may occur; alternatively, if the stresses are significantly reduced, bilateral stabilization may be unnecessary for patients with bilateral symptoms. The biomechanical effects of 1) unilateral stabilization on the contralateral SI joint and 2) bilateral stabilization on both SI joints are currently unknown. The objectives of this study were to characterize bilateral SI joint range of motion (ROM) and evaluate and compare the biomechanical effects of unilateral and bilateral implant placement for SI joint fusion. METHODS A lumbopelvic model (L5-pelvis) was used to test the ROM of both SI joints in 8 cadavers. A single-leg stance setup was used to load the lumbar spine and measure the ROM of each SI joint in flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. Both joints were tested 1) while intact, 2) after unilateral stabilization, and 3) after bilateral stabilization. Stabilization consisted of lateral transiliac placement of 3 triangular titanium plasma-sprayed (TPS) implants. RESULTS Intact testing showed that during single-leg stance the contralateral SI joint had less ROM in flexion-extension (27%), lateral bending (32%), and axial rotation (69%) than the loaded joint. Unilateral stabilization resulted in significant reduction of flexion-extension ROM (46%) on the treated side; no significant ROM changes were observed for the nontreated side. Bilateral stabilization resulted in significant reduction of flexion-extension ROM of the primary (45%) and secondary (75%) SI joints. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that during single-leg loading the ROMs for the stance (loaded) and swing (unloaded) SI joints are significantly different. Unilateral stabilization for SI joint dysfunction significantly reduces the ROM of the treated side, but does not significantly reduce the ROM of the nontreated contralateral SI joint. Bilateral stabilization is necessary to significantly reduce the ROM for both SI joints.

  1. A Systematic Review of Clinical Functional Outcomes After Medial Stabilized Versus Non-Medial Stabilized Total Knee Joint Replacement

    PubMed Central

    Young, Tony; Dowsey, Michelle M.; Pandy, Marcus; Choong, Peter F.

    2018-01-01

    Background Medial stabilized total knee joint replacement (TKJR) construct is designed to closely replicate the kinematics of the knee. Little is known regarding comparison of clinical functional outcomes of patients utilising validated patient reported outcome measures (PROM) after medial stabilized TKJR and other construct designs. Purpose To perform a systematic review of the available literature related to the assessment of clinical functional outcomes following a TKJR employing a medial stabilized construct design. Methods The review was performed with a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) algorithm. The literature search was performed using variouscombinations of keywords. The statistical analysis was completed using Review Manager (RevMan), Version 5.3. Results In the nineteen unique studies identified, there were 2,448 medial stabilized TKJRs implanted in 2,195 participants, there were 1,777 TKJRs with non-medial stabilized design constructs implanted in 1,734 subjects. The final mean Knee Society Score (KSS) value in the medial stabilized group was 89.92 compared to 90.76 in the non-medial stabilized group, with the final KSS mean value difference between the two groups was statistically significant and favored the non-medial stabilized group (SMD 0.21; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.41; p = 004). The mean difference in the final WOMAC values between the two groups was also statistically significant and favored the medial stabilized group (SMD: −0.27; 95% CI: −0.47 to −0.07; p = 0.009). Moderate to high values (I2) of heterogeneity were observed during the statistical comparison of these functional outcomes. Conclusion Based on the small number of studies with appropriate statistical analysis, we are unable to reach a clear conclusion in the clinical performance of medial stabilized knee replacement construct. Level of Evidence Level II PMID:29696144

  2. How to measure ecosystem stability? An evaluation of the reliability of stability metrics based on remote sensing time series across the major global ecosystems.

    PubMed

    De Keersmaecker, Wanda; Lhermitte, Stef; Honnay, Olivier; Farifteh, Jamshid; Somers, Ben; Coppin, Pol

    2014-07-01

    Increasing frequency of extreme climate events is likely to impose increased stress on ecosystems and to jeopardize the services that ecosystems provide. Therefore, it is of major importance to assess the effects of extreme climate events on the temporal stability (i.e., the resistance, the resilience, and the variance) of ecosystem properties. Most time series of ecosystem properties are, however, affected by varying data characteristics, uncertainties, and noise, which complicate the comparison of ecosystem stability metrics (ESMs) between locations. Therefore, there is a strong need for a more comprehensive understanding regarding the reliability of stability metrics and how they can be used to compare ecosystem stability globally. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of temporal ESMs based on time series of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index of 15 global land-cover types. We provide a framework (i) to assess the reliability of ESMs in function of data characteristics, uncertainties and noise and (ii) to integrate reliability estimates in future global ecosystem stability studies against climate disturbances. The performance of our framework was tested through (i) a global ecosystem comparison and (ii) an comparison of ecosystem stability in response to the 2003 drought. The results show the influence of data quality on the accuracy of ecosystem stability. White noise, biased noise, and trends have a stronger effect on the accuracy of stability metrics than the length of the time series, temporal resolution, or amount of missing values. Moreover, we demonstrate the importance of integrating reliability estimates to interpret stability metrics within confidence limits. Based on these confidence limits, other studies dealing with specific ecosystem types or locations can be put into context, and a more reliable assessment of ecosystem stability against environmental disturbances can be obtained. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. A PILOT STUDY OF CORE STABILITY AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE: IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP?

    PubMed Central

    Sharrock, Chris; Cropper, Jarrod; Mostad, Joel; Johnson, Matt

    2011-01-01

    Study Design: Correlation study Objectives: To objectively evaluate the relationship between core stability and athletic performance measures in male and female collegiate athletes. Background: The relationship between core stability and athletic performance has yet to be quantified in the available literature. The current literature does not demonstrate whether or not core strength relates to functional performance. Questions remain regarding the most important components of core stability, the role of sport specificity, and the measurement of core stability in relation to athletic performance. Methods: A sample of 35 volunteer student athletes from Asbury College (NAIA Division II) provided informed consent. Participants performed a series of five tests: double leg lowering (core stability test), the forty yard dash, the T-test, vertical jump, and a medicine ball throw. Participants performed three trials of each test in a randomized order. Results: Correlations between the core stability test and each of the other four performance tests were determined using a General Linear Model. Medicine ball throw negatively correlated to the core stability test (r –0.389, p=0.023). Participants that performed better on the core stability test had a stronger negative correlation to the medicine ball throw (r =–0.527). Gender was the most strongly correlated variable to core strength, males with a mean measurement of double leg lowering of 47.43 degrees compared to females having a mean of 54.75 degrees. Conclusions: There appears to be a link between a core stability test and athletic performance tests; however, more research is needed to provide a definitive answer on the nature of this relationship. Ideally, specific performance tests will be able to better define and to examine relationships to core stability. Future studies should also seek to determine if there are specific sub-categories of core stability which are most important to allow for optimal training and performance for individual sports. PMID:21713228

  4. Structural stability of purified human CFTR is systematically improved by mutations in nucleotide binding domain 1.

    PubMed

    Yang, Zhengrong; Hildebrandt, Ellen; Jiang, Fan; Aleksandrov, Andrei A; Khazanov, Netaly; Zhou, Qingxian; An, Jianli; Mezzell, Andrew T; Xavier, Bala M; Ding, Haitao; Riordan, John R; Senderowitz, Hanoch; Kappes, John C; Brouillette, Christie G; Urbatsch, Ina L

    2018-05-01

    The Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) is an ABC transporter containing two transmembrane domains forming a chloride ion channel, and two nucleotide binding domains (NBD1 and NBD2). CFTR has presented a formidable challenge to obtain monodisperse, biophysically stable protein. Here we report a comprehensive study comparing effects of single and multiple NBD1 mutations on stability of both the NBD1 domain alone and on purified full length human CFTR. Single mutations S492P, A534P, I539T acted additively, and when combined with M470V, S495P, and R555K cumulatively yielded an NBD1 with highly improved structural stability. Strategic combinations of these mutations strongly stabilized the domain to attain a calorimetric T m  > 70 °C. Replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations on the most stable 6SS-NBD1 variant implicated fluctuations, electrostatic interactions and side chain packing as potential contributors to improved stability. Progressive stabilization of NBD1 directly correlated with enhanced structural stability of full-length CFTR protein. Thermal unfolding of the stabilized CFTR mutants, monitored by changes in intrinsic fluorescence, demonstrated that Tm could be shifted as high as 67.4 °C in 6SS-CFTR, more than 20 °C higher than wild-type. H1402S, an NBD2 mutation, conferred CFTR with additional thermal stability, possibly by stabilizing an NBD-dimerized conformation. CFTR variants with NBD1-stabilizing mutations were expressed at the cell surface in mammalian cells, exhibited ATPase and channel activity, and retained these functions to higher temperatures. The capability to produce enzymatically active CFTR with improved structural stability amenable to biophysical and structural studies will advance mechanistic investigations and future cystic fibrosis drug development. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. A Systematic Review of Clinical Functional Outcomes After Medial Stabilized Versus Non-Medial Stabilized Total Knee Joint Replacement.

    PubMed

    Young, Tony; Dowsey, Michelle M; Pandy, Marcus; Choong, Peter F

    2018-01-01

    Medial stabilized total knee joint replacement (TKJR) construct is designed to closely replicate the kinematics of the knee. Little is known regarding comparison of clinical functional outcomes of patients utilising validated patient reported outcome measures (PROM) after medial stabilized TKJR and other construct designs. To perform a systematic review of the available literature related to the assessment of clinical functional outcomes following a TKJR employing a medial stabilized construct design. The review was performed with a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) algorithm. The literature search was performed using variouscombinations of keywords. The statistical analysis was completed using Review Manager (RevMan), Version 5.3. In the nineteen unique studies identified, there were 2,448 medial stabilized TKJRs implanted in 2,195 participants, there were 1,777 TKJRs with non-medial stabilized design constructs implanted in 1,734 subjects. The final mean Knee Society Score (KSS) value in the medial stabilized group was 89.92 compared to 90.76 in the non-medial stabilized group, with the final KSS mean value difference between the two groups was statistically significant and favored the non-medial stabilized group (SMD 0.21; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.41; p = 004). The mean difference in the final WOMAC values between the two groups was also statistically significant and favored the medial stabilized group (SMD: -0.27; 95% CI: -0.47 to -0.07; p = 0.009). Moderate to high values ( I 2 ) of heterogeneity were observed during the statistical comparison of these functional outcomes. Based on the small number of studies with appropriate statistical analysis, we are unable to reach a clear conclusion in the clinical performance of medial stabilized knee replacement construct. Level II.

  6. Quantifying Stability in Complex Networks: From Linear to Basin Stability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurths, Jürgen

    The human brain, power grids, arrays of coupled lasers and the Amazon rainforest are all characterized by multistability. The likelihood that these systems will remain in the most desirable of their many stable states depends on their stability against significant perturbations, particularly in a state space populated by undesirable states. Here we claim that the traditional linearization-based approach to stability is in several cases too local to adequately assess how stable a state is. Instead, we quantify it in terms of basin stability, a new measure related to the volume of the basin of attraction. Basin stability is non-local, nonlinear and easily applicable, even to high-dimensional systems. It provides a long-sought-after explanation for the surprisingly regular topologies of neural networks and power grids, which have eluded theoretical description based solely on linear stability. Specifically, we employ a component-wise version of basin stability, a nonlinear inspection scheme, to investigate how a grid's degree of stability is influenced by certain patterns in the wiring topology. Various statistics from our ensemble simulations all support one main finding: The widespread and cheapest of all connection schemes, namely dead ends and dead trees, strongly diminish stability. For the Northern European power system we demonstrate that the inverse is also true: `Healing' dead ends by addition of transmission lines substantially enhances stability. This indicates a crucial smart-design principle for tomorrow's sustainable power grids: add just a few more lines to avoid dead ends. Further, we analyse the particular function of certain network motifs to promote the stability of the system. Here we uncover the impact of so-called detour motifs on the appearance of nodes with a poor stability score and discuss the implications for power grid design. Moreover, it will be shown that basin stability enables uncovering the mechanism for explosive synchronization and understanding of evolving networks. Reference: P. Menck, J. Heitzig, N. Marwan, and J. Kurths, Nature Physics 9, 89 (2013) P. Menck, J. Heitzig, J. Kurths, and H. Schellnhuber, Nature Communication 5, 3969 (2014) P. Schultz, J. Heitzig, and J. Kurths, New Journal Physics 16, 125001 (2014) V. Kohar, P. Ji, A. Choudhary, S. Sinha, and J. Kurths, Phys. Rev. E 90, 022812 (2014) Y. Zou, T. Pereira, M. Small, Z. Liu, and J. Kurths, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 114102 (2014)

  7. Stability of the Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin Protein Correlates with Evolutionary Dynamics.

    PubMed

    Klein, Eili Y; Blumenkrantz, Deena; Serohijos, Adrian; Shakhnovich, Eugene; Choi, Jeong-Mo; Rodrigues, João V; Smith, Brendan D; Lane, Andrew P; Feldman, Andrew; Pekosz, Andrew

    2018-01-01

    Protein thermodynamics are an integral determinant of viral fitness and one of the major drivers of protein evolution. Mutations in the influenza A virus (IAV) hemagglutinin (HA) protein can eliminate neutralizing antibody binding to mediate escape from preexisting antiviral immunity. Prior research on the IAV nucleoprotein suggests that protein stability may constrain seasonal IAV evolution; however, the role of stability in shaping the evolutionary dynamics of the HA protein has not been explored. We used the full coding sequence of 9,797 H1N1pdm09 HA sequences and 16,716 human seasonal H3N2 HA sequences to computationally estimate relative changes in the thermal stability of the HA protein between 2009 and 2016. Phylogenetic methods were used to characterize how stability differences impacted the evolutionary dynamics of the virus. We found that pandemic H1N1 IAV strains split into two lineages that had different relative HA protein stabilities and that later variants were descended from the higher-stability lineage. Analysis of the mutations associated with the selective sweep of the higher-stability lineage found that they were characterized by the early appearance of highly stabilizing mutations, the earliest of which was not located in a known antigenic site. Experimental evidence further suggested that H1N1 HA stability may be correlated with in vitro virus production and infection. A similar analysis of H3N2 strains found that surviving lineages were also largely descended from viruses predicted to encode more-stable HA proteins. Our results suggest that HA protein stability likely plays a significant role in the persistence of different IAV lineages. IMPORTANCE One of the constraints on fast-evolving viruses, such as influenza virus, is protein stability, or how strongly the folded protein holds together. Despite the importance of this protein property, there has been limited investigation of the impact of the stability of the influenza virus hemagglutinin protein-the primary antibody target of the immune system-on its evolution. Using a combination of computational estimates of stability and experiments, our analysis found that viruses with more-stable hemagglutinin proteins were associated with long-term persistence in the population. There are two potential reasons for the observed persistence. One is that more-stable proteins tolerate destabilizing mutations that less-stable proteins could not, thus increasing opportunities for immune escape. The second is that greater stability increases the fitness of the virus through increased production of infectious particles. Further research on the relative importance of these mechanisms could help inform the annual influenza vaccine composition decision process.

  8. Guidelines for the practical stability studies of anticancer drugs: a European consensus conference.

    PubMed

    Bardin, C; Astier, A; Vulto, A; Sewell, G; Vigneron, J; Trittler, R; Daouphars, M; Paul, M; Trojniak, M; Pinguet, F

    2011-07-01

    Stability studies performed by the pharmaceutical industry are only designed to fulfill licensing requirements. Thus, post-dilution or -reconstitution stability data are frequently limited to 24h only for bacteriological reasons regardless of the true chemical stability which could, in many cases, be longer. In practice, the pharmacy-based centralized preparation may require infusions to be made several days in advance to provide, for example, the filling of ambulatory devices for continuous infusions or batch preparations for dose banding. Furthermore, a non-justified limited stability for expensive products is obviously very costly. Thus, there is a compelling need for additional stability data covering practical uses of anticancer drugs. A European conference consensus was held in France, May 2010, under the auspices of the French Society of Oncology Pharmacy (SFPO) to propose adapted rules on stability in practical situations and guidelines to perform corresponding stability studies. For each anticancer drug, considering their therapeutic index, the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) variability, specific clinical use and risks related to degradation products, the classical limit of 10% of degradation can be inappropriate. Therefore, acceptance limits must be clinically relevant and should be defined for each drug individually. Design of stability studies has to reflect the different needs of the clinical practice (preparation for the week-ends, outpatient transportations, implantable devices, dose banding…). It is essential to use validated stability-indicating methods, separating degradation products being formed in the practical use of the drug. Sequential temperature designs should be encouraged to replicate problems seen in daily practice such as rupture of the cold-chain or temperature-cycling between refrigerated storage and ambient in-use conditions. Stressed conditions are recommended to evaluate not only the role of classical variables (pH, temperature, light) but also the mechanical stress. Physical stability such as particles' formation should be systematically evaluated. The consensus conference focused on the need to perform more studies on the stability of biotherapies, including a minimum of three complementary separating methods and a careful evaluation of submicron aggregates. The determination of the biological activity of proteins could be also useful. A guideline on the practical stability of anticancer drugs is proposed to cover current clinical and pharmaceutical practice. It should contribute to improved security of use, optimization of centralized handling and reduced costs. Finally, we have attempted to establish a new drug stability paradigm based on practical clinical needs, to complement regulatory guidelines which are essentially orientated to the stability of manufactured drugs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  9. Theoretical foundations for finite-time transient stability and sensitivity analysis of power systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dasgupta, Sambarta

    Transient stability and sensitivity analysis of power systems are problems of enormous academic and practical interest. These classical problems have received renewed interest, because of the advancement in sensor technology in the form of phasor measurement units (PMUs). The advancement in sensor technology has provided unique opportunity for the development of real-time stability monitoring and sensitivity analysis tools. Transient stability problem in power system is inherently a problem of stability analysis of the non-equilibrium dynamics, because for a short time period following a fault or disturbance the system trajectory moves away from the equilibrium point. The real-time stability decision has to be made over this short time period. However, the existing stability definitions and hence analysis tools for transient stability are asymptotic in nature. In this thesis, we discover theoretical foundations for the short-term transient stability analysis of power systems, based on the theory of normally hyperbolic invariant manifolds and finite time Lyapunov exponents, adopted from geometric theory of dynamical systems. The theory of normally hyperbolic surfaces allows us to characterize the rate of expansion and contraction of co-dimension one material surfaces in the phase space. The expansion and contraction rates of these material surfaces can be computed in finite time. We prove that the expansion and contraction rates can be used as finite time transient stability certificates. Furthermore, material surfaces with maximum expansion and contraction rate are identified with the stability boundaries. These stability boundaries are used for computation of stability margin. We have used the theoretical framework for the development of model-based and model-free real-time stability monitoring methods. Both the model-based and model-free approaches rely on the availability of high resolution time series data from the PMUs for stability prediction. The problem of sensitivity analysis of power system, subjected to changes or uncertainty in load parameters and network topology, is also studied using the theory of normally hyperbolic manifolds. The sensitivity analysis is used for the identification and rank ordering of the critical interactions and parameters in the power network. The sensitivity analysis is carried out both in finite time and in asymptotic. One of the distinguishing features of the asymptotic sensitivity analysis is that the asymptotic dynamics of the system is assumed to be a periodic orbit. For asymptotic sensitivity analysis we employ combination of tools from ergodic theory and geometric theory of dynamical systems.

  10. Engineering proteins with tunable thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities.

    PubMed

    Pey, Angel L; Rodriguez-Larrea, David; Bomke, Susanne; Dammers, Susanne; Godoy-Ruiz, Raquel; Garcia-Mira, Maria M; Sanchez-Ruiz, Jose M

    2008-04-01

    It is widely recognized that enhancement of protein stability is an important biotechnological goal. However, some applications at least, could actually benefit from stability being strongly dependent on a suitable environment variable, in such a way that enhanced stability or decreased stability could be realized as required. In therapeutic applications, for instance, a long shelf-life under storage conditions may be convenient, but a sufficiently fast degradation of the protein after it has performed the planned molecular task in vivo may avoid side effects and toxicity. Undesirable effects associated to high stability are also likely to occur in food-industry applications. Clearly, one fundamental factor involved here is the kinetic stability of the protein, which relates to the time-scale of the irreversible denaturation processes and which is determined to some significant extent by the free-energy barrier for unfolding (the barrier that "separates" the native state from the highly-susceptible-to-irreversible-alterations nonnative states). With an appropriate experimental model, we show that strong environment-dependencies of the thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities can be achieved using robust protein engineering. We use sequence-alignment analysis and simple computational electrostatics to design stabilizing and destabilizing mutations, the latter introducing interactions between like charges which are screened out at high salt. Our design procedures lead naturally to mutating regions which are mostly unstructured in the transition state for unfolding. As a result, the large salt effect on the thermodynamic stability of our consensus plus charge-reversal variant translates into dramatic changes in the time-scale associated to the unfolding barrier: from the order of years at high salt to the order of days at low salt. Certainly, large changes in salt concentration are not expected to occur in biological systems in vivo. Hence, proteins with strong salt-dependencies of the thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities are more likely to be of use in those cases in which high-stability is required only under storage conditions. A plausible scenario is that inclusion of high salt in liquid formulations will contribute to a long protein shelf-life, while the lower salt concentration under the conditions of the application will help prevent the side effects associated with high-stability which may potentially arise in some therapeutic and food-industry applications. From a more general viewpoint, this work shows that consensus engineering and electrostatic engineering can be readily combined and clarifies relevant aspects of the relation between thermodynamic stability and kinetic stability in proteins. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  11. Stabilization of IgG1 in spray-dried powders for inhalation.

    PubMed

    Schüle, S; Schulz-Fademrecht, T; Garidel, P; Bechtold-Peters, K; Frieb, W

    2008-08-01

    The protein stabilizing capabilities of spray-dried IgG1/mannitol formulations were evaluated. The storage stability was tested at different residual moisture levels prepared by vacuum-drying or equilibration prior to storage. Vacuum-drying at 32 degrees C/0.1mbar for 24h reduced the moisture level below 1%, constituting an optimal basis for improved storage stability. The crystalline IgG1/mannitol powders with a weight ratio of 20/80 up to 40/60 failed to prevent the antibody aggregation as assessed by size exclusion chromatography during storage. Ratios of 60/40 up to 80/20 IgG1/mannitol provided superior stability of the antibody and the powders could be produced with high yields. The lower the residual moisture, the better was the stabilizing capability. An amount of 20% mannitol provided the best stabilization. Storage stability of 60/40, 70/30, and 80/20 IgG1/mannitol formulations over one year was adequate at 2-8 degrees C and 25 degrees C. Closed storage (sealed in vials) at 40 degrees C/75% RH and open storage at 25 degrees C/60% RH revealed that the stability still required optimization. The lower the protein content, the better was the powder flowability. The aerodynamic properties of powders spray-dried with 10% solids content were inadequate, as the particle size ranged between 5.1 and 7.2 microm and the fine particle fraction accounted for only 4-11%. Reduction of the solids content to 2.5% did improve the aerodynamic properties as the mass mean aerodynamic diameter was reduced to 3.6 microm and the fine particle fraction was increased to about 14%. The reduction of the solids content did not influence the storage stability significantly. Also spray-drying at higher temperatures had no significant impact on the storage stability, despite a higher tendency to form amorphous systems. In order to improve the storage stability and to maintain the good flowability of 70/30 IgG1/mannitol powder or to keep the storage stability but to improve the flowability of the 80/20 IgG1/mannitol powder, mannitol was partially substituted by a second excipient such as trehalose, sucrose, glycine, lactose, lactosucrose, or dextran 1. Differences in the stabilizing capability were noticeable upon closed storage at 40 degrees C/75% RH and open powder storage. Protein stabilization was improved by the addition of glycine but trehalose and sucrose were most effective in preventing aggregation, which can be primarily attributed to the water replacement properties of the sugars. The addition of another excipient, isoleucine had positive effects on both flowability and protein stability.

  12. Robust stability of bidirectional associative memory neural networks with time delays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Ju H.

    2006-01-01

    Based on the Lyapunov Krasovskii functionals combined with linear matrix inequality approach, a novel stability criterion is proposed for asymptotic stability of bidirectional associative memory neural networks with time delays. A novel delay-dependent stability criterion is given in terms of linear matrix inequalities, which can be solved easily by various optimization algorithms.

  13. Method for Studying Helicopter Longitudinal Maneuver Stability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Amer, Kenneth B

    1954-01-01

    A theoretical analysis of helicopter maneuver stability is made and the results are compared with experimental results for both a single and a tandem rotor helicopter. Techniques are described for measuring in flight the significant stability derivatives for use with the theory to aid in design studies of means for achieving marginal maneuver stability for a prototype helicopter.

  14. Generator Set Environmental and Stability Testing

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-03-01

    UNCLASSIFIED GENERATOR SET ENVIRONMENTAL AND STABILITY TESTING INTERIM REPORT TFLRF No. 460 by Gregory A. Hansen Edwin A...it to the originator. UNCLASSIFIED GENERATOR SET ENVIRONMENTAL AND STABILITY TESTING INTERIM REPORT TFLRF No. 460 by...TITLE AND SUBTITLE Generator Set Environmental and Stability Testing 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W56HZV-09-C-0100 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM

  15. Diversity and stability in Mississippi stream fish assemblages

    Treesearch

    Jocob F. Schaefer; Scott R. Clark; Melvin L. Jr. Warren

    2012-01-01

    Positive correlations between diversity and stability have been reported for a number of ecosystems and are thought to be caused by a stabilizing effect of differential species’ responses to environmental perturbation. Empirical field studies in which investigators tested for diversity–stability relationships are lacking for some taxonomic groups and typically have not...

  16. User's manual for the FLORA equilibrium and stability code

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Freis, R.P.; Cohen, B.I.

    1985-04-01

    This document provides a user's guide to the content and use of the two-dimensional axisymmetric equilibrium and stability code FLORA. FLORA addresses the low-frequency MHD stability of long-thin axisymmetric tandem mirror systems with finite pressure and finite-larmor-radius effects. FLORA solves an initial-value problem for interchange, rotational, and ballooning stability.

  17. 27 CFR 24.244 - Use of acid to stabilize standard wine.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... Use of acid to stabilize standard wine. Standard wine other than citrus wine, regardless of the fixed acid level, may be stabilized as a part of the finishing process by the addition of citric acid within... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Use of acid to stabilize...

  18. 27 CFR 24.244 - Use of acid to stabilize standard wine.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... Use of acid to stabilize standard wine. Standard wine other than citrus wine, regardless of the fixed acid level, may be stabilized as a part of the finishing process by the addition of citric acid within... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Use of acid to stabilize...

  19. 27 CFR 24.244 - Use of acid to stabilize standard wine.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... Use of acid to stabilize standard wine. Standard wine other than citrus wine, regardless of the fixed acid level, may be stabilized as a part of the finishing process by the addition of citric acid within... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Use of acid to stabilize...

  20. 27 CFR 24.244 - Use of acid to stabilize standard wine.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... Use of acid to stabilize standard wine. Standard wine other than citrus wine, regardless of the fixed acid level, may be stabilized as a part of the finishing process by the addition of citric acid within... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Use of acid to stabilize...

  1. Research on the Influence Factors of Emulsion Stability of Oil-in-water Drilling Fluid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Xiaoxu; Sun, Yuxue; Chen, Xiangming; Wang, Zengkui; Xu, Jianjun

    2018-01-01

    The evaluation standard of emulsion stability of oil-in-water drilling fluid is determined in this paper, based on which an evaluation analysis is conducted for the influence factors of emulsion stability, including the addition of emulsifier, addition of stabilizer, stirring speed, weighing agent, clay, etc. to gain the corresponding regularity understanding.

  2. The Stability of Vocational Interests from Early Adolescence to Middle Adulthood: A Quantitative Review of Longitudinal Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Low, K. S. Douglas; Yoon, Mijung; Roberts, Brent W.; Rounds, James

    2005-01-01

    The present meta-analysis examined the stability of vocational interests from early adolescence (age 12) to middle adulthood (age 40). Stability was represented by rank-order and profile correlations. Interest stability remained unchanged during much of adolescence and increased dramatically during the college years (age 18-21.9), where it…

  3. Simplified methods for evaluating road prism stability

    Treesearch

    William J. Elliot; Mark Ballerini; David Hall

    2003-01-01

    Mass failure is one of the most common failures of low-volume roads in mountainous terrain. Current methods for evaluating stability of these roads require a geotechnical specialist. A stability analysis program, XSTABL, was used to estimate the stability of 3,696 combinations of road geometry, soil, and groundwater conditions. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to...

  4. Stability of short-axial-wavelength internal kink modes of an anisotropic plasma

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Faghihi, M.; Scheffel, J.

    1987-12-01

    The double adiabatic equations are used to study the stability of a cylindrical Z-pinch with respect to small axial wavelength, internal kink (m ≥ 1) modes. It is found that marginally (ideally) unstable, isotropic equilibria are stabilized. Also, constant-current-density equilibria can be stabilized for P > P and large β

  5. 76 FR 36395 - Airworthiness Directives; Piper Aircraft, Inc. Models PA-24, PA-24-250, and PA-24-260 Airplanes

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-22

    ... stabilator horn assembly or repetitive inspection of the stabilator horn assembly for corrosion or cracks with replacement of the stabilator horn assembly if any corrosion or cracks are found. This proposed AD... to detect and correct corrosion or cracks in the stabilator horn assembly. Corrosion or cracks could...

  6. Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq: Report to Congress in Accordance with the Department of Defense Appropriations Act 2007 (Section 9010, Public Law 109-289)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-11-01

    initiatives. Political Stability Iraq’s Council of Representatives has passed key legislation to initiate the constitutional review process, to...facilitate foreign invest- ment, and to outline a process for region formation. Most important for long-term political stability is the success of...November 30, 2006 5 1. Stability and Security in Iraq 1.1 Political Stability 1.1.1 Steps to a Free and Self-Governing Iraq As detailed in the August

  7. A discussion for stabilization time of carbon steel in atmospheric corrosion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Zong-kai; Ma, Xiao-bing; Cai, Yi-kun

    2017-09-01

    Stabilization time is an important parameter in long-term prediction of carbon steel corrosion in atmosphere. The range of the stabilization time of carbon steel in atmospheric corrosion has been published in many scientific literatures. However, the results may not precise because engineering experiences is dominant. This paper deals with the recalculation of stabilization time based on ISO CORRAG program, and analyzes the results and makes a comparison to the data mentioned above. In addition, a new thinking to obtain stabilization time will be proposed.

  8. Stabilization of a spatially uniform steady state in two systems exhibiting Turing patterns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Konishi, Keiji; Hara, Naoyuki

    2018-05-01

    This paper deals with the stabilization of a spatially uniform steady state in two coupled one-dimensional reaction-diffusion systems with Turing instability. This stabilization corresponds to amplitude death that occurs in a coupled system with Turing instability. Stability analysis of the steady state shows that stabilization does not occur if the two reaction-diffusion systems are identical. We derive a sufficient condition for the steady state to be stable for any length of system and any boundary conditions. Our analytical results are supported with numerical examples.

  9. Towards Stability Analysis of Jump Linear Systems with State-Dependent and Stochastic Switching

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tejada, Arturo; Gonzalez, Oscar R.; Gray, W. Steven

    2004-01-01

    This paper analyzes the stability of hierarchical jump linear systems where the supervisor is driven by a Markovian stochastic process and by the values of the supervised jump linear system s states. The stability framework for this class of systems is developed over infinite and finite time horizons. The framework is then used to derive sufficient stability conditions for a specific class of hybrid jump linear systems with performance supervision. New sufficient stochastic stability conditions for discrete-time jump linear systems are also presented.

  10. Stabilization of polyaniline solutions through additives

    DOEpatents

    Wrobleski, D.A.; Benicewicz, B.C.

    1996-12-10

    A stabilized non-conductive polyaniline solution comprising from about 1 to about 10 percent by weight polyaniline or a polyaniline derivative, from about 90 to about 99 percent by weight N-methylpyrrolidone, and from about 0.5 percent by weight to about 15 percent by weight of a solution stabilizing additive selected from the group consisting of hindered amine light stabilizers, polymeric amines, and dialkylamines, percent by weight of additive based on the total weight of polyaniline or polyaniline derivative is provided together with a method for stabilizing a polyaniline solution. 4 figs.

  11. Stabilization of polyaniline solutions through additives

    DOEpatents

    Wrobleski, Debra A.; Benicewicz, Brian C.

    1996-01-01

    A stabilized non-conductive polyaniline solution comprising from about 1 to bout 10 percent by weight polyaniline or a polyaniline derivative, from about 90 to about 99 percent by weight N-methylpyrrolidone, and from about 0.5 percent by weight to about 15 percent by weight of a solution stabilizing additive selected from the group consisting of hindered amine light stabilizers, polymeric amines, and dialkylamines, percent by weight of additive based on the total weight of polyaniline or polyaniline derivative is provided together with a method for stabilizing a polyaniline solution.

  12. Passivity-Based Control for Two-Wheeled Robot Stabilization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Uddin, Nur; Aryo Nugroho, Teguh; Agung Pramudito, Wahyu

    2018-04-01

    A passivity-based control system design for two-wheeled robot (TWR) stabilization is presented. A TWR is a statically-unstable non-linear system. A control system is applied to actively stabilize the TWR. Passivity-based control method is applied to design the control system. The design results in a state feedback control law that makes the TWR closed loop system globally asymptotically stable (GAS). The GAS is proven mathematically. The TWR stabilization is demonstrated through computer simulation. The simulation results show that the designed control system is able to stabilize the TWR.

  13. Analysis of stability for stochastic delay integro-differential equations.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yu; Li, Longsuo

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we concern stability of numerical methods applied to stochastic delay integro-differential equations. For linear stochastic delay integro-differential equations, it is shown that the mean-square stability is derived by the split-step backward Euler method without any restriction on step-size, while the Euler-Maruyama method could reproduce the mean-square stability under a step-size constraint. We also confirm the mean-square stability of the split-step backward Euler method for nonlinear stochastic delay integro-differential equations. The numerical experiments further verify the theoretical results.

  14. Approximation methods for the stability analysis of complete synchronization on duplex networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Wenchen; Yang, Junzhong

    2018-01-01

    Recently, the synchronization on multi-layer networks has drawn a lot of attention. In this work, we study the stability of the complete synchronization on duplex networks. We investigate effects of coupling function on the complete synchronization on duplex networks. We propose two approximation methods to deal with the stability of the complete synchronization on duplex networks. In the first method, we introduce a modified master stability function and, in the second method, we only take into consideration the contributions of a few most unstable transverse modes to the stability of the complete synchronization. We find that both methods work well for predicting the stability of the complete synchronization for small networks. For large networks, the second method still works pretty well.

  15. Investigation of physical and chemical stability of ointment with herbals.

    PubMed

    Zdoryk, Oleksandr A; Khokhlova, Kateryna O; Georgiyants, Victoriya A; Vyshnevska, Liliia I

    2014-01-01

    The physical and chemical stability of a stock preparation ointment with active ingredients-herbal tinctures of calendula and arnica-for the treatment of hemorrhoids was studied. Evaluations for physical and chemical stability were performed initially and throughout the storage period. Physical stability of the ointment was assessed by means of visual observation in normal room light. Throughout the study period, the physical appearance of the ointment did not change. The chemical stability of the ointment was evaluated by means of a stability-indicating, thin-layer chromatography analytical technique. The shelf-life was found to be one month at 25 degrees C +/- 2 degrees C/60% RH and two months at 5 degrees C +/- 3 degrees C, when protected from light.

  16. Design of an unified chassis controller for rollover prevention, manoeuvrability and lateral stability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoon, Jangyeol; Yim, Seongjin; Cho, Wanki; Koo, Bongyeong; Yi, Kyongsu

    2010-11-01

    This paper describes a unified chassis control (UCC) strategy to prevent vehicle rollover and improve both manoeuvrability and lateral stability. Since previous researches on rollover prevention are only focused on the reduction of lateral acceleration, the manoeuvrability and lateral stability cannot be guaranteed. For this reason, it is necessary to design a UCC controller to prevent rollover and improve lateral stability by integrating electronic stability control, active front steering and continuous damping control. This integration is performed through switching among several control modes and a simulation is performed to validate the proposed method. Simulation results indicate that a significant improvement in rollover prevention, manoeuvrability and lateral stability can be expected from the proposed UCC system.

  17. Experimental investigation of cooling perimeter and disturbance length effect on stability of Nb3Sn cable-in-conduit conductors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Armstrong, J. R.

    1992-02-01

    The stability of three coils, with similar parameters besides having differing strand diameters, was investigated experimentally using inductive heaters to input disturbances. One of the coils stability was also tested by doubling the inductive heated disturbance length to 10 cm. By computationally deriving approximate inductive heater input energy at 12 T, stability curves show fair agreement with zero-dimensional and one-dimensional computer predictions. Quench velocity and limiting currents also show good agreement with earlier work. Also, the stability measured on one of the coils below its limiting current by disturbing a 10 cm length of conductor was much less than the same samples stability using a 5 cm disturbance length.

  18. DYNAMIC NEUROMUSCULAR STABILIZATION & SPORTS REHABILITATION

    PubMed Central

    Kobesova, Alena; Kolar, Pavel

    2013-01-01

    Dynamic neuromuscular (core) stability is necessary for optimal athletic performance and is not achieved purely by adequate strength of abdominals, spinal extensors, gluteals or any other musculature; rather, core stabilization is accomplished through precise coordination of these muscles and intra‐abdominal pressure regulation by the central nervous system. Understanding developmental kinesiology provides a framework to appreciate the regional interdependence and the inter‐linking of the skeleton, joints, musculature during movement and the importance of training both the dynamic and stabilizing function of muscles in the kinetic chain. The Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) approach provides functional tools to assess and activate the intrinsic spinal stabilizers in order to optimize the movement system for both pre‐habilitation and rehabilitation of athletic injuries and performance. Level of Evidence: 5 PMID:23439921

  19. The Superconducting Cavity Stabilized Oscillator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Turneaure, J. P.; Buchman, Saps; Lipa, John

    1997-01-01

    Superconducting Cavity Stabilized Oscillators (SCSOs) have produced the most stable clocks to date for integration times between 10(exp 2) and 10(exp 3) seconds, achieving a fractional frequency stability of 2 x 10(exp -16) for a sampling time of 100 s. The principal contributors to cavity frequency variations are: (1) acceleration effects due to gravity and vibrations; (2) temperature variations; (3) variations in the energy stored in the cavity; and (4) noise introduced by the frequency stabilization circuit. We discuss the prospects for improvements in all these areas for both ground-based and space-based SCSOs, which may lead to SCSOs with fractional frequency stabilities below 10(exp -17). SCSOs of this frequency stability will be useful for testing fundamental physical principles.

  20. Does core stability exercise improve lumbopelvic stability (through endurance tests) more than general exercise in chronic low back pain? A quasi-randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Shamsi, Mohammad Bagher; Rezaei, Mandana; Zamanlou, Mehdi; Sadeghi, Mehdi; Pourahmadi, Mohammad Reza

    2016-01-01

    The aim was to compare core stability and general exercises (GEs) in chronic low back pain (LBP) patients based on lumbopelvic stability (LPS) assessment through three endurance core stability tests. There is a controversy about preference of core stability exercise (CSE) over other types of exercise for chronic LBP. Studies which have compared these exercises used other outcomes than those related to LPS. As it is claimed that CSE enhances back stability, endurance tests for LPS were used. A 16-session CSE program and a GE program with the same duration were conducted for two groups of participants. Frequency of interventions for both groups was three times a week. Forty-three people (aged 18-60 years) with chronic non-specific LBP were alternately allocated to core stability (n = 22) or GE group (n = 21) when admitted. The primary outcomes were three endurance core stability tests including: (1) trunk flexor; (2) trunk extensor; and (3) side bridge tests. Secondary outcomes were disability and pain. Measurements were taken at baseline and the end of the intervention. After the intervention, test times increased and disability and pain decreased within groups. There was no significant difference between two groups in increasing test times (p = 0.23 to p = 0.36) or decreasing disability (p = 0.16) and pain (p = 0.73). CSE is not more effective than GE for improving endurance core stability tests and reducing disability and pain in chronic non-specific LBP patients.

  1. Stability and change in alcohol habits of different socio-demographic subgroups--a cohort study.

    PubMed

    Sydén, Lovisa; Wennberg, Peter; Forsell, Yvonne; Romelsjö, Anders

    2014-05-29

    Stability in alcohol habits varies over time and in subgroups, but there are few longitudinal studies assessing stability in alcohol habits by socio-demographic subgroups and potential predictors of stability and change. The aim was to study stability and change in alcohol habits by sex, age, and socio-economic position (SEP). Data derived from two longitudinal population based studies in Sweden; the PART study comprising 19 457 individuals aged 20-64 years in 1998-2000, and the Stockholm Public Health Cohort (SPHC) with 50 067 individuals aged 18-84 years in 2002. Both cohorts were followed-up twice; PART 2000-2003 and 2010, and SPHC 2007 and 2010. Alcohol habits were measured with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and with normal weekly alcohol consumption (NWAC). Stability in alcohol habits was measured with intraclass correlation. Odds ratios were estimated in multinomial logistic regression analysis to predict stability in alcohol habits. For the two drinking measures there were no consistent patterns of stability in alcohol habits by sex or educational level. The stability was higher for older age groups and self-employed women. To be a man aged 30-39 at baseline predicted both increase and decrease in alcohol habits. The findings illustrate higher stability in alcohol habits with increasing age and among self-employed women with risky alcohol habits. To be a man and the age 30-39 predicted change in alcohol habits. No conclusive pattern of socio-economic position as predictor of change in alcohol habits was found and other studies of potential predictors seem warranted.

  2. High-throughput analysis of the protein sequence-stability landscape using a quantitative "yeast surface two-hybrid" system and fragment reconstitution

    PubMed Central

    Dutta, Sanjib; Koide, Akiko; Koide, Shohei

    2008-01-01

    Stability evaluation of many mutants can lead to a better understanding of the sequence determinants of a structural motif and of factors governing protein stability and protein evolution. The traditional biophysical analysis of protein stability is low throughput, limiting our ability to widely explore the sequence space in a quantitative manner. In this study, we have developed a high-throughput library screening method for quantifying stability changes, which is based on protein fragment reconstitution and yeast surface display. Our method exploits the thermodynamic linkage between protein stability and fragment reconstitution and the ability of the yeast surface display technique to quantitatively evaluate protein-protein interactions. The method was applied to a fibronectin type III (FN3) domain. Characterization of fragment reconstitution was facilitated by the co-expression of two FN3 fragments, thus establishing a "yeast surface two-hybrid" method. Importantly, our method does not rely on competition between clones and thus eliminates a common limitation of high-throughput selection methods in which the most stable variants are predominantly recovered. Thus, it allows for the isolation of sequences that exhibits a desired level of stability. We identified over one hundred unique sequences for a β-bulge motif, which was significantly more informative than natural sequences of the FN3 family in revealing the sequence determinants for the β-bulge. Our method provides a powerful means to rapidly assess stability of many variants, to systematically assess contribution of different factors to protein stability and to enhance protein stability. PMID:18674545

  3. Factors affecting the stability of reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a biomechanical study.

    PubMed

    Clouthier, Allison L; Hetzler, Markus A; Fedorak, Graham; Bryant, J Tim; Deluzio, Kevin J; Bicknell, Ryan T

    2013-04-01

    Despite the success of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) in treating patients with painful pseudoparalytic shoulders, instability is a common complication and currently the factors affecting stability are not well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate a number of factors as well as the interactions between factors to determine how they affect the stability of the prosthesis. These factors included: active arm posture (abduction and abduction plane angles), loading direction, glenosphere diameter and eccentricity, and humeral socket constraint. Force required to dislocate the joint, determined using a biomechanical shoulder simulator, was used as a measure of stability. A factorial design experiment was implemented to examine the factors and interactions. Actively increasing the abduction angle by 15° leads to a 30% increase in stability and use of an inferior-offset rather than a centered glenosphere improved stability by 17%. Use of a more constrained humeral socket also increased stability; but the effect was dependent on loading direction, with a 88% improvement for superior loading, 66% for posterior, 36% for anterior, and no change for inferior loading. Abduction plane angle and glenosphere diameter had no effect on stability. Increased glenohumeral abduction and the use of an inferior-offset glenosphere were found to increase the stability of RSA. Additionally, use of a more constrained humeral socket increased stability for anterior, posterior, and superior loading. These identified factor effects have the potential to decrease the risk of dislocation following RSA. Copyright © 2013 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Metabolic Cost of Lateral Stabilization during Walking in People with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

    PubMed Central

    Matsubara, J.H.; Wu, M.; Gordon, K.E.

    2015-01-01

    People with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) expend considerable energy to walk, which can lead to rapid fatigue and limit community ambulation. Selecting locomotor patterns that enhance lateral stability may contribute to this population’s elevated cost of transport. The goal of the current study was to quantify the metabolic energy demands of maintaining lateral stability during gait in people with iSCI. To quantify this metabolic cost, we observed ten individuals with iSCI walking with and without external lateral stabilization. We hypothesized that with external lateral stabilization, people with iSCI would adapt their gait by decreasing step width, which would correspond with a substantial decrease in cost of transport. Our findings support this hypothesis. Subjects significantly (p < 0.05) decreased step width by 22%, step width variability by 18%, and minimum lateral margin of stability by 25% when they walked with external lateral stabilization compared to unassisted walking. Metabolic cost of transport also decreased significantly (p < 0.05) by 10% with external lateral stabilization. These findings suggest that this population is capable of adapting their gait to meet changing demands placed on balance. The percent reduction in cost of transport when walking with external lateral stabilization was strongly correlated with functional impairment level as assessed by subjects’ scores on the Berg Balance Scale (R = 0.778) and Lower Extremity Motor Score (R = 0.728). These relationships suggest that as functional balance and strength decrease, the amount of metabolic energy used to maintain lateral stability during gait will increase. PMID:25670651

  5. Synthesis of high-temperature viscosity stabilizer used in drilling fluid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yanna; Luo, Huaidong; Shi, Libao; Huang, Hongjun

    2018-02-01

    Abstract For a well performance drilling fluid, when it operates in deep wells under high temperature, the most important property required is the thermal stability. The drilling fluid properties under high temperature can be controlled by proper selection of viscosity stabilizer, which can capture oxygen to protect polymer agent in the drilling fluid. In this paper a viscosity stabilizer PB-854 is described, which was synthesized by 4-phenoxybutyl bromide, paraformaldehyde, and phloroglucinol using etherification method and condensation reaction. We studied the effect of catalyst dosage, temperature, time, and stirring rate on the synthetic yield. Under this condition: molar ratio of 2-tert-Butylphenol, paraformaldehyde and phloroglucinol of 2:1:2.5, reacting temperature of 100 °C, stirring rate of 100 r min-1, and mass content of catalyst of 15 %, char yield of 5-bromine-3-tert-butyl salicylaldehyde reached 86 %. Under this condition: molar ratio of 5-bromine-3-tert-butyl salicylaldehyde and phloroglucinol of 4, reacting temperature of 60 °C, reacting time of 30 min, volume content of sulphuric acid of 80 %, char yield of the target product viscosity stabilizer PB-854 is 86%. Finally, in this paper, infrared spectroscopy is adopted to analyse the structure of the synthetic product PB-854.The improvement in the stability of drilling fluid was further shown after adding the viscosity stabilizer in the common polymer drilling fluid under high temperature conditions of 120 °C ˜ 180 °C. The results show significant change in terms of fluid stability in the presence of this new stabilizer as it provides better stability.

  6. Modeling of the relationship between dipeptide structure and dipeptide stability, permeability, and ACE inhibitory activity.

    PubMed

    Foltz, Martin; van Buren, Leo; Klaffke, Werner; Duchateau, Guus S M J E

    2009-09-01

    Selected di- and tripeptides exhibit angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity in vitro. However, the efficacy in vivo is most likely limited for most peptides due to low bioavailability. The purpose of this study was to identify descriptors of intestinal stability, permeability, and ACE inhibitory activity of dipeptides. A total of 228 dipeptides were synthesized; intestinal stability was obtained by in vitro digestion, intestinal permeability using Caco-2 cells and ACE inhibitory activity by an in vitro assay. Databases were constructed to study the relationship between structure and activity, permeability, and stability. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modeling was performed based on computed models using partial least squares regression based on 400 molecular descriptors. QSAR modeling of dipeptide stability revealed high correlation coefficients (R > 0.65) for models based on Z and X scales. However, amino acid (AA) clustering showed the best results in describing stability of dipeptides. The N-terminal AA residues Asp, Gly, and Pro as well as the C-terminal residues Pro, Ser, Thr, and Asp stabilize dipeptides toward luminal enzymatic peptide hydrolysis. QSAR modeling did not reveal significant correlation models for intestinal permeability. 2D-fingerprint models were identified describing ACE inhibitory activity of dipeptides. The intestinal stability of 12 peptides was predicted. Peptides were synthesized and stability was confirmed in simulated digestion experiments. Based on the results, specific dipeptides can be designed to meet both stability and activity criteria. However, postabsorptive ACE inhibitory activities of dipeptides in vivo are most likely limited due to the very low intestinal permeability of dipeptides.

  7. Formulation and Stabilization of Francisella tularensis Live Vaccine Strain

    PubMed Central

    OHTAKE, SATOSHI; MARTIN, RUSSELL A.; SAXENA, ATUL; LECHUGA-BALLESTEROS, DAVID; SANTIAGO, ARACELI E; BARRY, EILEEN M.; TRUONG-LE, VU

    2012-01-01

    Francisella tularensis live vaccine strain (F. tularensis LVS), a promising vaccine candidate for protection against F. tularensis exposure, is a particularly thermolabile vaccine and difficult to stabilize sufficiently for storage under refrigerated conditions. Our preliminary data show that F. tularensis LVS can be stabilized in the dried state using foam drying, a modified freeze drying method, with sugar-based formulations. The process was conducted under mild drying conditions, which resulted in a good titer retention following processing. The inclusion of osmolytes in the growth media resulted in an acceleration of growth kinetics, although no change in osmotolerance was observed. The optimized F. tularensis formulation, which contained trehalose, gelatin, and Pluronic F68 demonstrated stability for approximately 1.5 weeks at 37°C (i.e., time required for the vaccine to decrease in potency by 1 log10 colony forming unit) and for 12 weeks at 25°C. At refrigerator storage condition (4°C), stabilized F. tularensis LVS vaccine exhibited no activity loss for at least 12 weeks. This stabilization method utilizes conventional freeze dryers and pharmaceutically approved stabilizers, and thus can be readily implemented at many manufacturing sites for large-scale production of stabilized vaccines. The improved heat stability of the F. tularensis LVS could mitigate risks of vaccine potency loss during long-term storage, shipping, and distribution. PMID:21491457

  8. Beta activity in the premotor cortex is increased during stabilized as compared to normal walking

    PubMed Central

    Bruijn, Sjoerd M.; Van Dieën, Jaap H.; Daffertshofer, Andreas

    2015-01-01

    Walking on two legs is inherently unstable. Still, we humans perform remarkable well at it, mostly without falling. To gain more understanding of the role of the brain in controlling gait stability we measured brain activity using electro-encephalography (EEG) during stabilized and normal walking. Subjects walked on a treadmill in two conditions, each lasting 10 min; normal, and while being laterally stabilized by elastic cords. Kinematics of trunk and feet, electro-myography (EMG) of neck muscles, as well as 64-channel EEG were recorded. To assess gait stability the local divergence exponent, step width, and trunk range of motion were calculated from the kinematic data. We used independent component (IC) analysis to remove movement, EMG, and eyeblink artifacts from the EEG, after which dynamic imaging of coherent sources beamformers were determined to identify cortical sources that showed a significant difference between conditions. Stabilized walking led to a significant increase in gait stability, i.e., lower local divergence exponents. Beamforming analysis of the beta band activity revealed significant sources in bilateral pre-motor cortices. Projection of sensor data on these sources showed a significant difference only in the left premotor area, with higher beta power during stabilized walking, specifically around push-off, although only significant around contralateral push-off. It appears that even during steady gait the cortex is involved in the control of stability. PMID:26578937

  9. A Systematic Approach Toward Stabilization of CagL, a Protein Antigen from Helicobacter pylori That Is a Candidate Subunit Vaccine

    PubMed Central

    Choudhari, Shyamal P.; Pendleton, Kirk P.; Ramsey, Joshua D.; Blanchard, Thomas G.; Picking, William D.

    2013-01-01

    An important consideration in the development of subunit vaccines is loss of activity caused by physical instability of the protein. Such instability often results from suboptimal solution conditions related to pH and temperature. Excipients can help to stabilize vaccines, but it is important to screen and identify excipients that adequately contribute to stabilization of a given formulation. CagL is a protein present in strains of Helicobacter pylori that possess type IV secretion systems. It contributes to bacterial adherence via α5β1 integrin, thereby making it an attractive subunit vaccine candidate. We characterized the stability of CagL in different pH and temperature conditions using a variety of spectroscopic techniques. Stability was assessed in terms of transition temperature (Tm) with the accumulated data then incorporated into an empirical phase diagram (EPD) that provided an overview of CagL physical stability. These analyses indicated maximum CagL stability at pH 4–6 up to 40 °C in the absence of excipient. Using this EPD analysis, aggregation assays were developed to screen a panel of excipients with some found to inhibit CagL aggregation. Candidate stabilizers were selected to confirm their enhanced stabilizing effect. These analyses will help in the formulation of a stable vaccine against H. pylori. PMID:23794457

  10. Effect of stump flexion contracture with and without prosthetic alignment intervention towards postural stability among transtibial prosthesis users

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghazali, M. F.; Razak, N. A. Abd; Abu Osman, N. A.; Gholizadeh, H.

    2017-06-01

    Knee flexion contracture on a stump side is a phenomenon in which the stump cannot move in normal range of motion (ROM) or cannot be fully extended. This study has been carried out by using Biodex Stability System (BSS) in order to investigate the effect of stump flexion contracture towards the postural stability among the transtibial prosthesis users with the intervention of alignment accommodation. The BSS provides the reading of anterior-posterior stability index (APSI), medial-lateral stability index (MLSI), and overall stability index (OSI). Higher reading of the index indicates lesser stability. Each of the subjects had been tested in three different sessions that were Visit 1 (before contracture improvement), Visit 2 (after contracture improvement without alignment readjustment), and Visit 3 (after contracture improvement with alignment readjustment). The APSI reading was significantly higher during Visit 2 compared to Visit 1 and Visit 3. The OSI during Visit 2 was also found significantly higher compared to Visit 3. In Visit 2, the degree of contracture was significantly improved with 44.1% less than Visit 1. The stability index in anterior-posterior aspect (APSI) was proven to be lower as the prosthetic alignment was adjusted according to the ROM of knee. This finding explained that the alignment set up based on the adaptation with the stump’s ROM can contribute positively in maintaining postural stability.

  11. Effect of arm swing strategy on local dynamic stability of human gait.

    PubMed

    Punt, Michiel; Bruijn, Sjoerd M; Wittink, Harriet; van Dieën, Jaap H

    2015-02-01

    Falling causes long term disability and can even lead to death. Most falls occur during gait. Therefore improving gait stability might be beneficial for people at risk of falling. Recently arm swing has been shown to influence gait stability. However at present it remains unknown which mode of arm swing creates the most stable gait. To examine how different modes of arm swing affect gait stability. Ten healthy young male subjects volunteered for this study. All subjects walked with four different arm swing instructions at seven different gait speeds. The Xsens motion capture suit was used to capture gait kinematics. Basic gait parameters, variability and stability measures were calculated. We found an increased stability in the medio-lateral direction with excessive arm swing in comparison to normal arm swing at all gait speeds. Moreover, excessive arm swing increased stability in the anterior-posterior and vertical direction at low gait speeds. Ipsilateral and inphase arm swing did not differ compared to a normal arm swing. Excessive arm swing is a promising gait manipulation to improve local dynamic stability. For excessive arm swing in the ML direction there appears to be converging evidence. The effect of excessive arm swing on more clinically relevant groups like the more fall prone elderly or stroke survivors is worth further investigating. Excessive arm swing significantly increases local dynamic stability of human gait. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. CAN STABILITY REALLY PREDICT AN IMPENDING SLIP-RELATED FALL AMONG OLDER ADULTS?

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Feng; Pai, Yi-Chung

    2015-01-01

    The primary purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate and compare the predictive power of falls for a battery of stability indices, obtained during normal walking among community-dwelling older adults. One hundred and eighty seven community-dwelling older adults participated in the study. After walking regularly for 20 strides on a walkway, participants were subjected to an unannounced slip during gait under the protection of a safety harness. Full body kinematics and kinetics were monitored during walking using a motion capture system synchronized with force plates. Stability variables, including feasible-stability-region measurement, margin of stability, the maximum Floquet multiplier, the Lyapunov exponents (short- and long-term), and the variability of gait parameters (including the step length, step width, and step time) were calculated for each subject. Accuracy of predicting slip outcome (fall vs. recovery) was examined for each stability variable using logistic regression. Results showed that the feasible-stability-region measurement predicted fall incidence among these subjects with the highest accuracy (68.4%). Except for the step width (with an accuracy of 60.2%), no other stability variables could differentiate fallers from those who did not fall for the sample studied in this study. The findings from the present study could provide guidance to identify individuals at increased risk of falling using the feasible-stability-region measurement or variability of the step width. PMID:25458148

  13. The effect of simulated acid rain on the stabilization of cadmium in contaminated agricultural soils treated with stabilizing agents.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Hao; Wu, Chunfa; Wang, Jun; Zhang, Xumei

    2018-04-16

    Stabilization technology is one of widely used remediation technologies for cadmium (Cd)-contaminated agricultural soils, but stabilized Cd in soil may be activated again when external conditions such as acid rain occurred. Therefore, it is necessary to study the effect of acid rain on the performance of different stabilizing agents on Cd-polluted agriculture soils. In this study, Cd-contaminated soils were treated with mono-calcium phosphate (MCP), mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP), and artificial zeolite (AZ) respectively and incubated 3 months. These treatments were followed by two types of simulated acid rain (sulfuric acid rain and mixed acid rain) with three levels of acidity (pH = 3.0, 4.0, and 5.6). The chemical forms of Cd in the soils were determined by Tessier's sequential extraction procedure, and the leaching toxicities of Cd in the soils were assessed by toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP). The results show that the three stabilizing agents could decrease the mobility of Cd in soil to some degree with or without simulated acid rain (SAR) treatment. The stabilization performances followed the order of AZ < MAP < MCP. Acid rain soaking promoted the activation of Cd in stabilized soil, and both anion composition and pH of acid rain were two important factors that influenced the stabilization effect of Cd.

  14. Select geotechnical properties of a lime stabilized expansive soil amended with bagasse ash and coconut shell powder

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    James, Jijo; Pandian, P. Kasinatha

    2018-03-01

    Lime stabilization has been and still is one of the most preferred methods for stabilization of expansive soils. However, in the recent times, utilization of solid waste materials in soil stabilization has gained prominence as an effective means to manage wastes generated from various sources. In this work, an attempt has been made to utilize waste materials from two sources as auxiliary additives to lime in the stabilization of an expansive soil. Bagasse ash (BA), a waste by-product from the sugar industry and Coconut shell powder (CSP), a processed waste obtained from left over coconut shells of oil extraction industry were used as auxiliary additives. An expansive soil obtained from a local field was subjected to chemical, mineral, microstructural and geotechnical characterization in the laboratory and stabilized using 3% lime. The waste materials were subjected to chemical, mineral and microstructural characterization. The stabilization process was amended with four different contents viz. 0.25%, 0.5%, 1% and 2% of BA and CSP separately and the effect of the amendment was studied on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS), plasticity, swell-shrink and microstructural characteristics of the expansive soil. The results of the study indicated that BA amendment of lime stabilization performed better than CSP in improving the UCS, plasticity, swell-shrink and microstructure of the lime stabilized expansive soil.

  15. Preserving enzymatic activity and enhancing biochemical stability of glutathione transferase by soluble additives under free and tethered conditions.

    PubMed

    Karamitros, Christos S; Labrou, Nikolaos E

    2017-09-01

    In the present study, we report the effect of four different soluble additives (sucrose, lactitol, superfloc c577, and dextran sulfate) on the stability of glutathione transferase 1 enzyme from Zea mays (ZmGSTF1-1) under free and tethered conditions at 4 and 25 °C. Among all additives, the best stabilizing effects were observed in the case of superfloc c577 and sucrose at both tested temperatures, yet at distinct concentrations at each condition. Those two stabilizing agents were further combined and potential positive synergistic effects were investigated. In addition, we assessed the long-term storage and operational stability of ZmGSTF1-1 under tethered conditions in the presence of additives, which provided the most conducive effects on its stability under free conditions. Our results strongly suggest that the presence of additives may be beneficial to the stability of the enzyme under both free and tethered conditions. Thermodynamic analysis of the free enzyme in the presence of sucrose, which exhibited the best stabilizing effect at both temperatures, shed light on the possible mechanism of action. Given the considerable importance of the development of GST-based biosensors with prolonged stability, the present work may be of general interest to researchers in the field of applied enzymology. © 2016 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  16. Applications of Protein Thermodynamic Database for Understanding Protein Mutant Stability and Designing Stable Mutants.

    PubMed

    Gromiha, M Michael; Anoosha, P; Huang, Liang-Tsung

    2016-01-01

    Protein stability is the free energy difference between unfolded and folded states of a protein, which lies in the range of 5-25 kcal/mol. Experimentally, protein stability is measured with circular dichroism, differential scanning calorimetry, and fluorescence spectroscopy using thermal and denaturant denaturation methods. These experimental data have been accumulated in the form of a database, ProTherm, thermodynamic database for proteins and mutants. It also contains sequence and structure information of a protein, experimental methods and conditions, and literature information. Different features such as search, display, and sorting options and visualization tools have been incorporated in the database. ProTherm is a valuable resource for understanding/predicting the stability of proteins and it can be accessed at http://www.abren.net/protherm/ . ProTherm has been effectively used to examine the relationship among thermodynamics, structure, and function of proteins. We describe the recent progress on the development of methods for understanding/predicting protein stability, such as (1) general trends on mutational effects on stability, (2) relationship between the stability of protein mutants and amino acid properties, (3) applications of protein three-dimensional structures for predicting their stability upon point mutations, (4) prediction of protein stability upon single mutations from amino acid sequence, and (5) prediction methods for addressing double mutants. A list of online resources for predicting has also been provided.

  17. Solidification/Stabilization Resource Guide

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This Solidification/Stabilization Resource Guide is intended to inform site cleanup managers of recently-published materials such as field reports and guidance documents that address issues relevant to solidification/stabilization technologies.

  18. Commercial aviation alternative fuels initiative

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-04-22

    This presentation looks at alternative fuels to enhance environmental stability, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, air quality benefits (e.g., SOx and PM), fuel supply stability, and fuel price stability.

  19. High Temperature Stability of Potassium Beta Alumina

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, R. M.; Kisor, A.; Ryan, M. A.

    1996-01-01

    None. From Objectives section: Evaluate the stability of potassium beta alumina under potassium AMTEC operating conditions. Evaluate the stability regime in which potassium beta alumina can be fabricated.

  20. Military Cooperation, Political Stability, CENTCOM: The Saudi Conundrum.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    Ras Banas were unobtainable. Therefore, appropriations for military construction have not been available. The political stability requirements of the...adopt policies which might undermine its political stability are an important factor contributing to this ambivalence. The advantages of specific...contingency arrangements must be weighed against other U.S. objectives. particularly domestic political stability . The history of the U.S. -Saudi bilateral

  1. Stabilization of Proteins by Polymer Conjugation via ATRP

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-08-31

    to increase their solubility and utility in organic solvents and to increase their stability in body. Protein-initiated ATRP would enable us to... Solvent solubilization, therapeutic proteins, hydrophilic polymers, protein stabilization Lance Mabus, Jason Berberich, Bhalchandra Lele, Virginia Depp... solvents and to increase their stability in body. Protein-initiated ATRP would enable us to overcome many problems in conventional technology that

  2. Effect of thermal expansion on the stability of two-reactant flames

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jackson, T. L.

    1986-01-01

    The full problem of flame stability for the two-reactant model, which takes into account thermal expansion effects for all disturbance wave lengths, is examined. It is found that the stability problem for the class of two-reactant flames is equivalent to the stability problem for the class of one-reactant flames with an appropriate interpretation of Lewis numbers.

  3. Stabilizing an optoelectronic microwave oscillator with photonic filters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Strekalov, D.; Aveline, D.; Yu, N.; Thompson, R.; Matsko, A. B.; Maleki, L.

    2003-01-01

    This paper compares methods of active stabilization of an optoelectronic microwave oscillator (OEO) based on insertion of a source of optical group delay into an OEO loop. The performance of an OEO stabilized with either a high- optical cavity or an atomic cell is analyzed. We show that the elements play a role of narrow-band microwave filters improving an OEO stability.

  4. The ring residue proline 8 is crucial for the thermal stability of the lasso peptide caulosegnin II.

    PubMed

    Hegemann, Julian D; Fage, Christopher D; Zhu, Shaozhou; Harms, Klaus; Di Leva, Francesco Saverio; Novellino, Ettore; Marinelli, Luciana; Marahiel, Mohamed A

    2016-04-01

    Lasso peptides are fascinating natural products with a unique structural fold that can exhibit tremendous thermal stability. Here, we investigate factors responsible for the thermal stability of caulosegnin II. By employing X-ray crystallography, mutational analysis and molecular dynamics simulations, the ring residue proline 8 was proven to be crucial for thermal stability.

  5. Influence of a stabilized cap layer on the photodegradation of coextruded high density polyethylene/woodflour composites

    Treesearch

    Shan Jin; Nicole M. Stark; Laurent M. Matuana

    2013-01-01

    The effect of light stabilizer’s addition method into wood-plastic composites (WPCs), i.e., surface versus bulk, on their photostability was evaluated. Blends of ultraviolet absorbers (benzotriazole or hydroxyphenyltriazine) with a hindered amine light stabilizer were used as the stabilizing additives. Both unstabilized and photostabilized uncapped (control) samples,...

  6. Pyrosequencing Based Microbial Community Analysis of Stabilized Mine Soils

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, J. E.; Lee, B. T.; Son, A.

    2015-12-01

    Heavy metals leached from exhausted mines have been causing severe environmental problems in nearby soils and groundwater. Environmental mitigation was performed based on the heavy metal stabilization using Calcite and steel slag in Korea. Since the soil stabilization only temporarily immobilizes the contaminants to soil matrix, the potential risk of re-leaching heavy metal still exists. Therefore the follow-up management of stabilized soils and the corresponding evaluation methods are required to avoid the consequent contamination from the stabilized soils. In this study, microbial community analysis using pyrosequencing was performed for assessing the potential leaching of the stabilized soils. As a result of rarefaction curve and Chao1 and Shannon indices, the stabilized soil has shown lower richness and diversity as compared to non-contaminated negative control. At the phyla level, as the degree of contamination increases, most of phyla decreased with only exception of increased proteobacteria. Among proteobacteria, gamma-proteobacteria increased against the heavy metal contamination. At the species level, Methylobacter tundripaludum of gamma-proteobacteria showed the highest relative portion of microbial community, indicating that methanotrophs may play an important role in either solubilization or immobilization of heavy metals in stabilized soils.

  7. A Riccati solution for the ideal MHD plasma response with applications to real-time stability control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glasser, Alexander; Kolemen, Egemen; Glasser, A. H.

    2018-03-01

    Active feedback control of ideal MHD stability in a tokamak requires rapid plasma stability analysis. Toward this end, we reformulate the δW stability method with a Hamilton-Jacobi theory, elucidating analytical and numerical features of the generic tokamak ideal MHD stability problem. The plasma response matrix is demonstrated to be the solution of an ideal MHD matrix Riccati differential equation. Since Riccati equations are prevalent in the control theory literature, such a shift in perspective brings to bear a range of numerical methods that are well-suited to the robust, fast solution of control problems. We discuss the usefulness of Riccati techniques in solving the stiff ordinary differential equations often encountered in ideal MHD stability analyses—for example, in tokamak edge and stellarator physics. We demonstrate the applicability of such methods to an existing 2D ideal MHD stability code—DCON [A. H. Glasser, Phys. Plasmas 23, 072505 (2016)]—enabling its parallel operation in near real-time, with wall-clock time ≪1 s . Such speed may help enable active feedback ideal MHD stability control, especially in tokamak plasmas whose ideal MHD equilibria evolve with inductive timescale τ≳ 1s—as in ITER.

  8. Hydrodynamic stability of the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta): effects of four-limbed rowing versus forelimb flapping in rigid-bodied tetrapods

    PubMed Central

    Rivera, Gabriel; Rivera, Angela R. V.; Blob, Richard W.

    2011-01-01

    Hydrodynamic stability is the ability to resist recoil motions of the body produced by destabilizing forces. Previous studies have suggested that recoil motions can decrease locomotor performance, efficiency and sensory perception and that swimming animals might utilize kinematic strategies or possess morphological adaptations that reduce recoil motions and produce more stable trajectories. We used high-speed video to assess hydrodynamic stability during rectilinear swimming in the freshwater painted turtle (Chrysemys picta). Parameters of vertical stability (heave and pitch) were non-cyclic and variable, whereas measures of lateral stability (sideslip and yaw) showed repeatable cyclic patterns. In addition, because freshwater and marine turtles use different swimming styles, we tested the effects of propulsive mode on hydrodynamic stability during rectilinear swimming, by comparing our data from painted turtles with previously collected data from two species of marine turtle (Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas). Painted turtles had higher levels of stability than both species of marine turtle for six of the eight parameters tested, highlighting potential disadvantages associated with ‘aquatic flight’. Finally, available data on hydrodynamic stability of other rigid-bodied vertebrates indicate that turtles are less stable than boxfish and pufferfish. PMID:21389201

  9. A New Approach to Attitude Stability and Control for Low Airspeed Vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lim, K. B.; Shin, Y-Y.; Moerder, D. D.; Cooper, E. G.

    2004-01-01

    This paper describes an approach for controlling the attitude of statically unstable thrust-levitated vehicles in hover or slow translation. The large thrust vector that characterizes such vehicles can be modulated to provide control forces and moments to the airframe, but such modulation is accompanied by significant unsteady flow effects. These effects are difficult to model, and can compromise the practical value of thrust vectoring in closed-loop attitude stability, even if the thrust vectoring machinery has sufficient bandwidth for stabilization. The stabilization approach described in this paper is based on using internal angular momentum transfer devices for stability, augmented by thrust vectoring for trim and other "outer loop" control functions. The three main components of this approach are: (1) a z-body axis angular momentum bias enhances static attitude stability, reducing the amount of control activity needed for stabilization, (2) optionally, gimbaled reaction wheels provide high-bandwidth control torques for additional stabilization, or agility, and (3) the resulting strongly coupled system dynamics are controlled by a multivariable controller. A flight test vehicle is described, and nonlinear simulation results are provided that demonstrate the efficiency of the approach.

  10. Design of Launch Vehicle Flight Control Augmentors and Resulting Flight Stability and Control (Center Director's Discretionary Fund Project 93-05, Part III)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barret, C.

    1997-01-01

    This publication presents the control requirements, the details of the designed Flight Control Augmentor's (FCA's), the static stability and dynamic stability wind tunnel test programs, the static stability and control analyses, the dynamic stability characteristics of the experimental Launch Vehicle (LV) with the designed FCA's, and a consideration of the elastic vehicle. Dramatic improvements in flight stability have been realized with all the FCA designs; these ranged from 41 percent to 72 percent achieved by the blunt TE design. The control analysis showed that control increased 110 percent with only 3 degrees of FCA deflection. The dynamic stability results showed improvements with all FCA designs tested at all Mach numbers tested. The blunt TE FCA's had the best overall dynamic stability results. Since the lowest elastic vehicle frequency must be well separated from that of the control system, the significant frequencies and modes of vibration have been identified, and the response spectra compared for the experimental LV in both the conventional and the aft cg configuration. Although the dynamic response was 150 percent greater in the aft cg configuration, the lowest bending mode frequency decreased by only 2.8 percent.

  11. A Physics-Based Temperature Stabilization Criterion for Thermal Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rickman, Steven L.; Ungar, Eugene K.

    2009-01-01

    Spacecraft testing specifications differ greatly in the criteria they specify for stability in thermal balance tests. Some specify a required temperature stabilization rate (the change in temperature per unit time, dT/dt), some specify that the final steady-state temperature be approached to within a specified difference, delta T , and some specify a combination of the two. The particular values for temperature stabilization rate and final temperature difference also vary greatly between specification documents. A one-size-fits-all temperature stabilization rate requirement does not yield consistent results for all test configurations because of differences in thermal mass and heat transfer to the environment. Applying a steady-state temperature difference requirement is problematic because the final test temperature is not accurately known a priori, especially for powered configurations. In the present work, a simplified, lumped-mass analysis has been used to explore the applicability of these criteria. A new, user-friendly, physics-based approach is developed that allows the thermal engineer to determine when an acceptable level of temperature stabilization has been achieved. The stabilization criterion can be predicted pre-test but must be refined during test to allow verification that the defined level of temperature stabilization has been achieved.

  12. Nonlinear Slewing Spacecraft Control Based on Exergy, Power Flow, and Static and Dynamic Stability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robinett, Rush D.; Wilson, David G.

    2009-10-01

    This paper presents a new nonlinear control methodology for slewing spacecraft, which provides both necessary and sufficient conditions for stability by identifying the stability boundaries, rigid body modes, and limit cycles. Conservative Hamiltonian system concepts, which are equivalent to static stability of airplanes, are used to find and deal with the static stability boundaries: rigid body modes. The application of exergy and entropy thermodynamic concepts to the work-rate principle provides a natural partitioning through the second law of thermodynamics of power flows into exergy generator, dissipator, and storage for Hamiltonian systems that is employed to find the dynamic stability boundaries: limit cycles. This partitioning process enables the control system designer to directly evaluate and enhance the stability and performance of the system by balancing the power flowing into versus the power dissipated within the system subject to the Hamiltonian surface (power storage). Relationships are developed between exergy, power flow, static and dynamic stability, and Lyapunov analysis. The methodology is demonstrated with two illustrative examples: (1) a nonlinear oscillator with sinusoidal damping and (2) a multi-input-multi-output three-axis slewing spacecraft that employs proportional-integral-derivative tracking control with numerical simulation results.

  13. Numerical Prediction of the Influence of Thrust Reverser on Aeroengine's Aerodynamic Stability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhiqiang, Wang; Xigang, Shen; Jun, Hu; Xiang, Gao; Liping, Liu

    2017-11-01

    A numerical method was developed to predict the aerodynamic stability of a high bypass ratio turbofan engine, at the landing stage of a large transport aircraft, when the thrust reverser was deployed. 3D CFD simulation and 2D aeroengine aerodynamic stability analysis code were performed in this work, the former is to achieve distortion coefficient for the analysis of engine stability. The 3D CFD simulation was divided into two steps, the single engine calculation and the integrated aircraft and engine calculation. Results of the CFD simulation show that with the decreasing of relative wind Mach number, the engine inlet will suffer more severe flow distortion. The total pressure and total temperature distortion coefficients at the inlet of the engines were obtained from the results of the numerical simulation. Then an aeroengine aerodynamic stability analysis program was used to quantitatively analyze the aerodynamic stability of the high bypass ratio turbofan engine. The results of the stability analysis show that the engine can work stably, when the reverser flow is re-ingested. But the anti-distortion ability of the booster is weaker than that of the fan and high pressure compressor. It is a weak link of engine stability.

  14. Dynamic Imbalance Analysis and Stability Control of Galloping Gait for a Passive Quadruped Robot

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Chunlei; Zhang, Ting; Wei, Xiaohui; Long, Yongjun; Wang, Shigang

    2015-01-01

    Some imbalance and balance postures of a passive quadruped robot with a simplified mathematical model are studied. Through analyzing the influence of the touchdown angle of the rear leg on the posture of the trunk during the flight phase, the stability criterion is concluded: the closer are the two moments which are the zero time of the pitching angle and the peak time of the center of mass, the better is the stability of the trunk posture during the flight phase. Additionally, the validity of the stability criterion is verified for the cat, greyhound, lion, racehorse, basset hound, and giraffe. Furthermore, the stability criterion is also applicable when the center of the mass of body is shifted. Based on the stability criterion, the necessary and sufficient condition of the galloping stability for the quadruped robot is proposed to attain a controlled thrust. The control strategy is designed by an optimization dichotomy algorithm for seeking the zero point of the balance condition. Through the control results, it is demonstrated that the imbalance posture of the trunk could be stabilized by adjusting the stiffness of four legs. PMID:27110095

  15. Protein adsorption and excipient effects on kinetic stability of silicone oil emulsions.

    PubMed

    Ludwig, D Brett; Carpenter, John F; Hamel, Jean-Bernard; Randolph, Theodore W

    2010-04-01

    The effect of silicone oil on the stability of therapeutic protein formulations is of concern in the biopharmaceutical industry as more proteins are stored and delivered in prefilled syringes. Prefilled syringes provide convenience for medical professionals and patients, but prolonged exposure of proteins to silicone oil within prefilled syringes may be problematic. In this study, we characterize systems of silicone oil-in-aqueous buffer emulsions and model proteins in formulations containing surfactant, sodium chloride, or sucrose. For each of the formulations studied, silicone oil-induced loss of soluble protein, likely through protein adsorption onto the silicone oil droplet surface. Excipient addition affected both protein adsorption and emulsion stability. Addition of surfactant stabilized emulsions but decreased protein adsorption to silicone oil microdroplets. In contrast, addition of sodium chloride increased protein adsorption and decreased emulsion stability. Silicone oil droplets with adsorbed lysozyme rapidly agglomerated and creamed out of suspension. This decrease in the kinetic stability of the emulsion is ascribed to surface charge neutralization and a bridging flocculation phenomenon and illustrates the need to investigate not only the effects of silicone oil on protein stability, but also the effects of protein formulation variables on emulsion stability. 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

  16. Impact of alcohols on the formation and stability of protein-stabilized nanoemulsions.

    PubMed

    Zeeb, Benjamin; Herz, Eva; McClements, David Julian; Weiss, Jochen

    2014-11-01

    Nanoemulsions are increasingly being used for encapsulation, protection, and delivery of bioactive lipids, however, their formation from natural emulsifiers is still challenging. We investigated the impact of alcohol on the formation and stability of protein-stabilized oil-in-water nanoemulsions prepared by high-pressure homogenization. The influence of different alcohols (ethanol, 1-propanol, and 1-butanol) at various concentrations (0-25% w/w) on the formation and stability of emulsions stabilized by sodium caseinate, whey protein isolate, and fish gelatin was investigated. The mean particle diameter decreased with increasing alcohol concentrations from 0 to 10%w/w, but extensive droplet aggregation occurred at higher levels. This phenomenon was attributed to enhanced protein-protein interactions between the adsorbed emulsifier molecules in the presence of alcohol leading to droplet flocculation. The smallest droplets (d<100nm) were obtained when 10%w/w 1-butanol was added to sodium caseinate-stabilized nanoemulsions, but relatively small droplets (d<150nm) could also be obtained in the presence of a food-grade alcohol (ethanol). This study demonstrated that alcohol addition might be a useful tool for producing protein-stabilized nanoemulsions suitable for use as delivery systems of lipophilic bioactive agents. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Impact of implant design on primary stability of orthodontic mini-implants.

    PubMed

    Wilmes, Benedict; Ottenstreuer, Stephanie; Su, Yu-Yu; Drescher, Dieter

    2008-01-01

    Skeletal anchorage with mini-implants has greatly broadened the treatment possibilities in orthodontics over the last few years. To reduce implant failure rates, it is advisable to obtain adequate primary stability. The aim of this study was to quantitatively analyze the impact of implant design and dimension on primary stability. Forty-two porcine iliac bone segments were prepared and embedded in resin. To evaluate the primary stability, we documented insertion torques of the following mini-implants: Aarhus Screw, AbsoAnchor, LOMAS, Micro-Anchorage-System, ORLUS and Spider Screw. In each bone, five Dual Top Screws were inserted for reference purposes to achieve comparability among the specimens. We observed wide variation in insertion torques and hence primary stability, depending on mini-implant design and dimension; the great impact that mini-implant diameter has on insertion torques was particularly conspicuous. Conical mini-implants achieved higher primary stabilities than cylindrical designs. The diameter and design of the mini-implant thread have a distinctive impact on primary stability. Depending on the region of insertion and local bone quality, the choice of the mini-implant design and size is crucial to establish sufficient primary stability.

  18. Stability analysis of fuzzy parametric uncertain systems.

    PubMed

    Bhiwani, R J; Patre, B M

    2011-10-01

    In this paper, the determination of stability margin, gain and phase margin aspects of fuzzy parametric uncertain systems are dealt. The stability analysis of uncertain linear systems with coefficients described by fuzzy functions is studied. A complexity reduced technique for determining the stability margin for FPUS is proposed. The method suggested is dependent on the order of the characteristic polynomial. In order to find the stability margin of interval polynomials of order less than 5, it is not always necessary to determine and check all four Kharitonov's polynomials. It has been shown that, for determining stability margin of FPUS of order five, four, and three we require only 3, 2, and 1 Kharitonov's polynomials respectively. Only for sixth and higher order polynomials, a complete set of Kharitonov's polynomials are needed to determine the stability margin. Thus for lower order systems, the calculations are reduced to a large extent. This idea has been extended to determine the stability margin of fuzzy interval polynomials. It is also shown that the gain and phase margin of FPUS can be determined analytically without using graphical techniques. Copyright © 2011 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Synthesis and Characterisation of Biocompatible Polymer-Conjugated Magnetic Beads for Enhancement Stability of Urease.

    PubMed

    Doğaç, Yasemin Ispirli; Teke, Mustafa

    2016-04-01

    We reported natural polymer-conjugated magnetic featured urease systems for removal of urea effectively. The optimum temperature (20-60 °C), optimum pH (3.0-10.0), kinetic parameters, thermal stability (4-70 °C), pH stability (4.0-9.0), operational stability (0-250 min), reusability (18 times) and storage stability (24 weeks) were studied for characterisation of the urease-encapsulated biocompatible polymer-conjugated magnetic beads. Also, the surface groups and chemical structure of the magnetic beads were determined by using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The all urease-encapsulated magnetic beads protected their stability of 30-45 % relative activity at 70 °C. A significant increase was observed at their pH stability compared with the free urease for both acidic and alkaline medium. Besides this, their repeatability activity were approximately 100 % during 4(th) run. They showed residual activity of 50 % after 16 weeks. The importance of this work is enhancement stability of immobilised urease by biocompatible polymer-conjugated magnetic beads for the industrial application based on removal of urea.

  20. MSW fly ash stabilized with coal ash for geotechnical application.

    PubMed

    Kamon, M; Katsumi, T; Sano, Y

    2000-09-15

    The solidification and stabilization of municipal solid waste (MSW) fly ash for the purpose of minimizing the geo-environmental impact caused by toxic heavy metals as well as ensuring engineering safety (strength and soaking durability) are experimentally evaluated. The mixtures of MSW fly ash stabilized with cement and fluidized bed combustion coal fly ash (FCA) were used for unconfined compressive strength tests, leachate tests, and soaking tests. The behavior of soluble salts contained in the MSW fly ash significantly affects strength development, soaking durability, and the hardening reaction of the stabilized MSW fly ash mixtures. The cement stabilization of the MSW fly ash does not have enough effect on strength development and soaking durability. The addition of cement only contributes to the containment of heavy metals due to the high level of alkalinity. When using FCA as a stabilizing agent for MSW fly ash, the mixture exhibits high strength and durability. However, the Cd leachate cannot be prevented in the early stages of curing. Using a combination of cement and FCA as a MSW fly ash stabilizer can attain high strength, high soaking durability, and the containment of heavy metals. The stabilized MSW fly ash with cement and FCA can be practically applied to embankments.

  1. Effect of sorbitol and glycerol on the stability of trypsin and difference between their stabilization effects in the various solvents.

    PubMed

    Pazhang, Mohammad; Mehrnejad, Faramarz; Pazhang, Yaghub; Falahati, Hanieh; Chaparzadeh, Nader

    2016-01-01

    The effect of glycerol and sorbitol on the stability of porcine pancreas trypsin was investigated in this work. Molecular dynamics simulation and thermostability results showed that trypsin has two flexible regions, and polyols (sorbitol and glycerol) stabilize the enzyme by decreasing the flexibility of these regions. Radial distribution function results exhibited that sorbitol and glycerol were excluded from the first water layer of the enzyme, therefore decrease the flexibility of the regions by preferential exclusion. Also, results showed that the stabilization effect of sorbitol is more than glycerol. This observation could be because of the larger decrease in the fluctuations of trypsin in the presence of sorbitol. We also examined the role of solvent's hydrophobicity in enzyme stabilization by sorbitol and glycerol. To do so, the thermostability of trypsin was evaluated in the presence of solvents with different hydrophobicity (methanol, ethanol, isopropanol and n-propanol) in addition to the polyols. Our results depicted that glycerol is a better stabilizer than sorbitol in the presence of hydrophobic solvents (n-propanol), whereas sorbitol is a better stabilizer than glycerol in the presence of hydrophilic solvents (methanol). © 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  2. Are ecosystem services stabilized by differences among species? A test using crop pollination.

    PubMed

    Winfree, Rachael; Kremen, Claire

    2009-01-22

    Biological diversity could enhance ecosystem service provision by increasing the mean level of services provided, and/or by providing more consistent (stable) services over space and time. Ecological theory predicts that when an ecosystem service is provided by many species, it will be stabilized against disturbance by a variety of 'stabilizing mechanisms.' However, few studies have investigated whether stabilizing mechanisms occur in real landscapes affected by human disturbance. We used two datasets on crop pollination by wild native bees to screen for and differentiate among three stabilizing mechanisms: density compensation (negative co-variance among species' abundances); response diversity (differential response to environmental variables among species); and cross-scale resilience (response to the same environmental variable at different scales by different species). In both datasets, we found response diversity and cross-scale resilience, but not density compensation. We conclude that stabilizing mechanisms may contribute to the stability of pollination services in our study areas, emphasizing the insurance value of seemingly 'redundant' species. Furthermore, the absence of density compensation that we found at the landscape scale contrasts with findings of previous small-scale experimental and modelling work, suggesting that we should not assume that density compensation will stabilize ecosystem services in real landscapes.

  3. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Karabacak, Özkan, E-mail: ozkan2917@gmail.com; Department of Electronic Systems, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg East; Alikoç, Baran, E-mail: alikoc@itu.edu.tr

    Motivated by the chaos suppression methods based on stabilizing an unstable periodic orbit, we study the stability of synchronized periodic orbits of coupled map systems when the period of the orbit is the same as the delay in the information transmission between coupled units. We show that the stability region of a synchronized periodic orbit is determined by the Floquet multiplier of the periodic orbit for the uncoupled map, the coupling constant, the smallest and the largest Laplacian eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix. We prove that the stabilization of an unstable τ-periodic orbit via coupling with delay τ is possiblemore » only when the Floquet multiplier of the orbit is negative and the connection structure is not bipartite. For a given coupling structure, it is possible to find the values of the coupling strength that stabilizes unstable periodic orbits. The most suitable connection topology for stabilization is found to be the all-to-all coupling. On the other hand, a negative coupling constant may lead to destabilization of τ-periodic orbits that are stable for the uncoupled map. We provide examples of coupled logistic maps demonstrating the stabilization and destabilization of synchronized τ-periodic orbits as well as chaos suppression via stabilization of a synchronized τ-periodic orbit.« less

  4. Security region-based small signal stability analysis of power systems with FSIG based wind farm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, Chao; Zeng, Yuan; Yang, Yang; Cui, Xiaodan; Xu, Xialing; Li, Yong

    2018-02-01

    Based on the Security Region approach, the impact of fixed-speed induction generator based wind farm on the small signal stability of power systems is analyzed. Firstly, the key factors of wind farm on the small signal stability of power systems are analyzed and the parameter space for small signal stability region is formed. Secondly, the small signal stability region of power systems with wind power is established. Thirdly, the corresponding relation between the boundary of SSSR and the dominant oscillation mode is further studied. Results show that the integration of fixed-speed induction generator based wind farm will cause the low frequency oscillation stability of the power system deteriorate. When the output of wind power is high, the oscillation stability of the power system is mainly concerned with the inter-area oscillation mode caused by the integration of the wind farm. Both the active power output and the capacity of reactive power compensation of the wind farm have a significant influence on the SSSR. To improve the oscillation stability of power systems with wind power, it is suggested to reasonably set the reactive power compensation capacity for the wind farm through SSSR.

  5. Surgical options for lumbosacral fusion: biomechanical stability, advantage, disadvantage and affecting factors in selecting options.

    PubMed

    Yoshihara, Hiroyuki

    2014-07-01

    Numerous surgical procedures and instrumentation techniques for lumbosacral fusion (LSF) have been developed. This is probably because of its high mechanical demand and unique anatomy. Surgical options include anterior column support (ACS) and posterior stabilization procedures. Biomechanical studies have been performed to verify the stability of those options. The options have their own advantage but also disadvantage aspects. This review article reports the surgical options for lumbosacral fusion, their biomechanical stability, advantages/disadvantages, and affecting factors in option selection. Review of literature. LSF has lots of options both for ACS and posterior stabilization procedures. Combination of posterior stabilization procedures is an option. Furthermore, combinations of ACS and posterior stabilization procedures are other options. It is difficult to make a recommendation or treatment algorithm of LSF from the current literature. However, it is important to know all aspects of the options and decision-making of surgical options for LSF needs to be tailored for each patient, considering factors such as biomechanical stress and osteoporosis.

  6. Successful Stabilization of Graphene Oxide in Electrolyte Solutions: Enhancement of Bio-functionalization and Cellular Uptake

    PubMed Central

    Hong, Bong Jin; Compton, Owen C.; An, Zhi; Eryzazici, Ibrahim; Nguyen, SonBinh T.

    2013-01-01

    Aqueous dispersions of graphene oxide are inherently unstable in the presence of electrolytes, which screen the electrostatic surface charge on these nanosheets and induce irreversible aggregation. Two complementary strategies, utilizing either electrostatic or steric stabilization, have been developed to enhance the stability of graphene oxide in electrolyte solutions, allowing it to stay dispersed in cell culture media and serum. The electrostatic stabilization approach entails further oxidation of graphene oxide to low C/O ratio (~1.03) and increases ionic tolerance of these nanosheets. The steric stabilization technique employs an amphiphilic block copolymer that serves as a non-covalently bound surfactant to minimize the aggregate-induced nanosheets-nanosheet interactions. Both strategies can stabilize graphene oxide nanosheets with large dimensions (>300 nm) in biological media, allowing for an enhancement of >250% in the bioconjugation efficiency of streptavidin in comparison to untreated nanosheets. Notably, both strategies allow the stabilized nanosheets to be readily uptake by cells, demonstrating their excellent performance as potential drug delivery vehicles. PMID:22017285

  7. cry1Aa lacks stability elements at its 5'-UTR but integrity of its transcription terminator is critical to prevent decay of its transcript.

    PubMed

    Ramírez-Prado, Jorge Humberto; Martínez-Márquez, Eva Isabel; Olmedo-Alvarez, Gabriela

    2006-07-01

    We analyzed the influence of the 5' and 3' untranslated regions of the Bacillus thuringiensis cry1Aa on its mRNA stability. Although the cry1Aa gene has a stable transcript (8 min), its 5' UTR did not provide stability to the reporter gene uidA. Stability of cry1Aa could be increased to 40 min by addition of an SP82 stability element at the 5' UTR, suggesting that once the 5' and 3' ends were protected initiation of decay could be effectively blocked. We generated mutations in the transcription terminator and found that changes that reduced the stability of the stem, a larger loop, or elimination of the U-trail sharply decreased the half-life of the transcript. Therefore, unlike some stable bacterial transcripts, cry1Aa lacks special features at the end 5' to prevent decay, but its terminator is the main determinant of its stability.

  8. State fusion entropy for continuous and site-specific analysis of landslide stability changing regularities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Yong; Qin, Zhimeng; Hu, Baodan; Feng, Shuai

    2018-04-01

    Stability analysis is of great significance to landslide hazard prevention, especially the dynamic stability. However, many existing stability analysis methods are difficult to analyse the continuous landslide stability and its changing regularities in a uniform criterion due to the unique landslide geological conditions. Based on the relationship between displacement monitoring data, deformation states and landslide stability, a state fusion entropy method is herein proposed to derive landslide instability through a comprehensive multi-attribute entropy analysis of deformation states, which are defined by a proposed joint clustering method combining K-means and a cloud model. Taking Xintan landslide as the detailed case study, cumulative state fusion entropy presents an obvious increasing trend after the landslide entered accelerative deformation stage and historical maxima match highly with landslide macroscopic deformation behaviours in key time nodes. Reasonable results are also obtained in its application to several other landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir in China. Combined with field survey, state fusion entropy may serve for assessing landslide stability and judging landslide evolutionary stages.

  9. Improving the Stability and the Pharmaceutical Properties of Norfloxacin Form C Through Binary Complexes with β-Cyclodextrin.

    PubMed

    Garnero, Claudia; Chattah, Ana Karina; Aloisio, Carolina; Fabietti, Luis; Longhi, Marcela

    2018-05-10

    Norfloxacin, an antibiotic that exists in different solid forms, has very unfavorable properties in terms of solubility and stability. Binary complexes of norfloxacin, in the solid form C, and β-cyclodextrin were procured by the kneading method and physical mixture. Their effect on the solubility, the dissolution rate, and the chemical and physical stability of norfloxacin was evaluated. To perform stability studies, the solid samples were stored under accelerated storage conditions, for a period of 6 months. Physical stability was monitored through powder X-ray diffraction, high-resolution 13 C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed evidence that the kneaded complex increased and modulated the dissolution rate of norfloxacin C. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the photochemical stability was increased in the complex, without affecting its physical stability. The results point to the conclusion that the new kneading complex of norfloxacin constitutes an alternative tool to formulate a potential oral drug delivery system with improve oral bioavailability.

  10. Stabilizing detached Bridgman melt crystal growth: Proportional-integral feedback control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yeckel, Andrew; Daoutidis, Prodromos; Derby, Jeffrey J.

    2012-10-01

    The dynamics, operability limits, and tuning of a proportional-integral feedback controller to stabilize detached vertical Bridgman crystal growth are analyzed using a capillary model of shape stability. The manipulated variable is the pressure difference between upper and lower vapor spaces, and the controlled variable is the gap width at the triple-phase line. Open and closed loop dynamics of step changes in these state variables are analyzed under both shape stable and shape unstable growth conditions. Effects of step changes in static contact angle and growth angle are also studied. Proportional and proportional-integral control can stabilize unstable growth, but only within tight operability limits imposed by the narrow range of allowed meniscus shapes. These limits are used to establish safe operating ranges of controller gain. Strong nonlinearity of the capillary model restricts the range of perturbations that can be stabilized, and under some circumstances, stabilizes a spurious operating state far from the set point. Stabilizing detachment at low growth angle proves difficult and becomes impossible at zero growth angle.

  11. The stability of the international oil trade network from short-term and long-term perspectives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Qingru; Gao, Xiangyun; Zhong, Weiqiong; Liu, Nairong

    2017-09-01

    To examine the stability of the international oil trade network and explore the influence of countries and trade relationships on the trade stability, we construct weighted and unweighted international oil trade networks based on complex network theory using oil trading data between countries from 1996 to 2014. We analyze the stability of international oil trade network (IOTN) from short-term and long-term aspects. From the short-term perspective, we find that the trade volumes play an important role on the stability. Moreover, the weighted IOTN is stable; however, the unweighted networks can better reflect the actual evolution of IOTN. From the long-term perspective, we identify trade relationships that are maintained during the whole sample period to reveal the situation of the whole international oil trade. We provide a way to quantitatively measure the stability of complex network from short-term and long-term perspectives, which can be applied to measure and analyze trade stability of other goods or services.

  12. Humidity-corrected Arrhenius equation: The reference condition approach.

    PubMed

    Naveršnik, Klemen; Jurečič, Rok

    2016-03-16

    Accelerated and stress stability data is often used to predict shelf life of pharmaceuticals. Temperature, combined with humidity accelerates chemical decomposition and the Arrhenius equation is used to extrapolate accelerated stability results to long-term stability. Statistical estimation of the humidity-corrected Arrhenius equation is not straightforward due to its non-linearity. A two stage nonlinear fitting approach is used in practice, followed by a prediction stage. We developed a single-stage statistical procedure, called the reference condition approach, which has better statistical properties (less collinearity, direct estimation of uncertainty, narrower prediction interval) and is significantly easier to use, compared to the existing approaches. Our statistical model was populated with data from a 35-day stress stability study on a laboratory batch of vitamin tablets and required mere 30 laboratory assay determinations. The stability prediction agreed well with the actual 24-month long term stability of the product. The approach has high potential to assist product formulation, specification setting and stability statements. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Robust Stabilization of Uncertain Systems Based on Energy Dissipation Concepts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gupta, Sandeep

    1996-01-01

    Robust stability conditions obtained through generalization of the notion of energy dissipation in physical systems are discussed in this report. Linear time-invariant (LTI) systems which dissipate energy corresponding to quadratic power functions are characterized in the time-domain and the frequency-domain, in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMls) and algebraic Riccati equations (ARE's). A novel characterization of strictly dissipative LTI systems is introduced in this report. Sufficient conditions in terms of dissipativity and strict dissipativity are presented for (1) stability of the feedback interconnection of dissipative LTI systems, (2) stability of dissipative LTI systems with memoryless feedback nonlinearities, and (3) quadratic stability of uncertain linear systems. It is demonstrated that the framework of dissipative LTI systems investigated in this report unifies and extends small gain, passivity, and sector conditions for stability. Techniques for selecting power functions for characterization of uncertain plants and robust controller synthesis based on these stability results are introduced. A spring-mass-damper example is used to illustrate the application of these methods for robust controller synthesis.

  14. Dual mechanisms regulate ecosystem stability under decade-long warming and hay harvest

    PubMed Central

    Shi, Zheng; Xu, Xia; Souza, Lara; Wilcox, Kevin; Jiang, Lifen; Liang, Junyi; Xia, Jianyang; García-Palacios, Pablo; Luo, Yiqi

    2016-01-01

    Past global change studies have identified changes in species diversity as a major mechanism regulating temporal stability of production, measured as the ratio of the mean to the standard deviation of community biomass. However, the dominant plant functional group can also strongly determine the temporal stability. Here, in a grassland ecosystem subject to 15 years of experimental warming and hay harvest, we reveal that warming increases while hay harvest decreases temporal stability. This corresponds with the biomass of the dominant C4 functional group being higher under warming and lower under hay harvest. As a secondary mechanism, biodiversity also explains part of the variation in temporal stability of production. Structural equation modelling further shows that warming and hay harvest regulate temporal stability through influencing both temporal mean and variation of production. Our findings demonstrate the joint roles that dominant plant functional group and biodiversity play in regulating the temporal stability of an ecosystem under global change. PMID:27302085

  15. Influence of osmolytes on protein and water structure: a step to understanding the mechanism of protein stabilization.

    PubMed

    Bruździak, Piotr; Panuszko, Aneta; Stangret, Janusz

    2013-10-03

    Results concerning the thermostability of hen egg white lysozyme in aqueous solutions with stabilizing osmolytes, trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), glycine (Gly), and its N-methyl derivatives, N-methylglycine (NMG), N,N-dimethylglycine (DMG), and N,N,N-trimethylglycine (betaine, TMG), have been presented. The combination of spectroscopic (IR) and calorimetric (DSC) data allowed us to establish a link between osmolytes' influence on water structure and their ability to thermally stabilize protein molecule. Structural and energetic characteristics of stabilizing osmolytes' and lysozyme's hydration water appear to be very similar. The osmolytes increase lysozyme stabilization in the order bulk water < TMAO < TMG < Gly < DMG < NMG, which is consistent with the order corresponding to the value of the most probable oxygen-oxygen distance of water molecules affected by osmolytes in their surrounding. Obtained results verified the hypothesis concerning the role of water molecules in protein stabilization, explained the osmophobic effect, and finally helped to bring us nearer to the exact mechanism of protein stabilization by osmolytes.

  16. Impulsive stabilization and impulsive synchronization of discrete-time delayed neural networks.

    PubMed

    Chen, Wu-Hua; Lu, Xiaomei; Zheng, Wei Xing

    2015-04-01

    This paper investigates the problems of impulsive stabilization and impulsive synchronization of discrete-time delayed neural networks (DDNNs). Two types of DDNNs with stabilizing impulses are studied. By introducing the time-varying Lyapunov functional to capture the dynamical characteristics of discrete-time impulsive delayed neural networks (DIDNNs) and by using a convex combination technique, new exponential stability criteria are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities. The stability criteria for DIDNNs are independent of the size of time delay but rely on the lengths of impulsive intervals. With the newly obtained stability results, sufficient conditions on the existence of linear-state feedback impulsive controllers are derived. Moreover, a novel impulsive synchronization scheme for two identical DDNNs is proposed. The novel impulsive synchronization scheme allows synchronizing two identical DDNNs with unknown delays. Simulation results are given to validate the effectiveness of the proposed criteria of impulsive stabilization and impulsive synchronization of DDNNs. Finally, an application of the obtained impulsive synchronization result for two identical chaotic DDNNs to a secure communication scheme is presented.

  17. Integrating plant litter quality, soil organic matter stabilization, and the carbon saturation concept.

    PubMed

    Castellano, Michael J; Mueller, Kevin E; Olk, Daniel C; Sawyer, John E; Six, Johan

    2015-09-01

    Labile, 'high-quality', plant litters are hypothesized to promote soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization in mineral soil fractions that are physicochemically protected from rapid mineralization. However, the effect of litter quality on SOM stabilization is inconsistent. High-quality litters, characterized by high N concentrations, low C/N ratios, and low phenol/lignin concentrations, are not consistently stabilized in SOM with greater efficiency than 'low-quality' litters characterized by low N concentrations, high C/N ratios, and high phenol/lignin concentrations. Here, we attempt to resolve these inconsistent results by developing a new conceptual model that links litter quality to the soil C saturation concept. Our model builds on the Microbial Efficiency-Matrix Stabilization framework (Cotrufo et al., 2013) by suggesting the effect of litter quality on SOM stabilization is modulated by the extent of soil C saturation such that high-quality litters are not always stabilized in SOM with greater efficiency than low-quality litters. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Two-year stability of individual differences in (para)sympathetic and HPA-axis responses to public speaking in childhood and adolescence.

    PubMed

    van den Bos, Esther; Westenberg, P Michiel

    2015-03-01

    Long-term stability of individual differences in stress responses has repeatedly been demonstrated in adults, but few studies have investigated the development of stability in adolescence. The present study was the first to investigate the stability of individual differences in heart rate, parasympathetic (RMSSD, pNN50, HF), sympathetic (LF/HF, SC), and HPA-axis (salivary cortisol) responses in a youth sample (8-19 years). Responses to public speaking were measured twice over 2 years. Stability was moderate for absolute responses and task delta responses of HR, RMSSD, pNN50, and HF. Stability was lower for SC and task delta responses of LF/HF and cortisol. Anticipation delta responses showed low stability for HR and cortisol. The latter was moderated by age or puberty, so that individual differences were more stable in more mature individuals. The results support the suggestion that stress responses may be reset during adolescence, but only for the HPA axis. © 2014 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  19. Chip Scale Atomic Resonator Frequency Stabilization System With Ultra-Low Power Consumption for Optoelectronic Oscillators.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jianye; Zhang, Yaolin; Lu, Haoyuan; Hou, Dong; Zhang, Shuangyou; Wang, Zhong

    2016-07-01

    We present a long-term chip scale stabilization scheme for optoelectronic oscillators (OEOs) based on a rubidium coherent population trapping (CPT) atomic resonator. By locking a single mode of an OEO to the (85)Rb 3.035-GHz CPT resonance utilizing an improved phase-locked loop (PLL) with a PID regulator, we achieved a chip scale frequency stabilization system for the OEO. The fractional frequency stability of the stabilized OEO by overlapping Allan deviation reaches 6.2 ×10(-11) (1 s) and  ∼ 1.45 ×10 (-11) (1000 s). This scheme avoids a decrease in the extra phase noise performance induced by the electronic connection between the OEO and the microwave reference in common injection locking schemes. The total physical package of the stabilization system is [Formula: see text] and the total power consumption is 400 mW, which provides a chip scale and portable frequency stabilization approach with ultra-low power consumption for OEOs.

  20. Analytical determination of the effect of structural elasticity on landing stability of a version of the Viking Lander

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Laurenson, R. M.

    1972-01-01

    A limited analytical investigation was conducted to assess the effects of structural elasticity on the landing stability of a version of the Viking Lander. Two landing conditions and two lander mass and inertia distributions were considered. The results of this investigation show that the stability-critical surface slopes were lower for an uphill landing than for a downhill landing. In addition, the heavy footpad mass with its corresponding inertia distribution resulted in lower stability-critical ground slopes than were obtained for the light footpad mass and its corresponding inertia distribution. Structural elasticity was observed to have a large effect on the downhill landing stability of the light footpad mass configuration but had a negligible effect on the stability of the other configuration examined. Because of the limited nature of this study, care must be exercised in drawing conclusions from these results relative to the overall stability characteristics of the Viking Lander.

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