Stability of aerosol droplets in Bessel beam optical traps under constant and pulsed external forces.

Science.gov (United States)

David, Grégory; Esat, Kıvanç; Hartweg, Sebastian; Cremer, Johannes; Chasovskikh, Egor; Signorell, Ruth

2015-04-21

We report on the dynamics of aerosol droplets in optical traps under the influence of additional constant and pulsed external forces. Experimental results are compared with simulations of the three-dimensional droplet dynamics for two types of optical traps, the counter-propagating Bessel beam (CPBB) trap and the quadruple Bessel beam (QBB) trap. Under the influence of a constant gas flow (constant external force), the QBB trap is found to be more stable compared with the CPBB trap. By contrast, under pulsed laser excitation with laser pulse durations of nanoseconds (pulsed external force), the type of trap is of minor importance for the droplet stability. It typically needs pulsed laser forces that are several orders of magnitude higher than the optical forces to induce escape of the droplet from the trap. If the droplet strongly absorbs the pulsed laser light, these escape forces can be strongly reduced. The lower stability of absorbing droplets is a result of secondary thermal processes that cause droplet escape.

Stability of aerosol droplets in Bessel beam optical traps under constant and pulsed external forces

Science.gov (United States)

David, Grégory; Esat, Kıvanç; Hartweg, Sebastian; Cremer, Johannes; Chasovskikh, Egor; Signorell, Ruth

2015-04-01

We report on the dynamics of aerosol droplets in optical traps under the influence of additional constant and pulsed external forces. Experimental results are compared with simulations of the three-dimensional droplet dynamics for two types of optical traps, the counter-propagating Bessel beam (CPBB) trap and the quadruple Bessel beam (QBB) trap. Under the influence of a constant gas flow (constant external force), the QBB trap is found to be more stable compared with the CPBB trap. By contrast, under pulsed laser excitation with laser pulse durations of nanoseconds (pulsed external force), the type of trap is of minor importance for the droplet stability. It typically needs pulsed laser forces that are several orders of magnitude higher than the optical forces to induce escape of the droplet from the trap. If the droplet strongly absorbs the pulsed laser light, these escape forces can be strongly reduced. The lower stability of absorbing droplets is a result of secondary thermal processes that cause droplet escape.

Task force report on health effects assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, C.; Hushon, J.

1978-08-01

From April to August, 1978 MITRE supported the Health Effects Assessment Task Force sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Environment at DOE. The findings of that Task Force are incorporated in this report and include a detailed definition of health effects assessment, a survey of the mandates for health effects assessments within DOE/EV, a review of current DOE-EV health effects assessment activities, an analysis of the constraints affecting the health effects assessment process and a discussion of the Task Force recommendations. Included as appendices are summaries of two workshops conducted by the Task Force to determine the state-of-the-art of health effects assessment and modeling and a review of risk assessment activities in other federal agencies. The primary recommendation of the panel was that an office be designated or created under the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Environment to coordinate the Health Effects Risk Assessment effort covering up to 40 program and policy areas; a similar need was expressed for the environmental effects assessment area. 1 tab

Probing of miniPEGγ-PNA-DNA Hybrid Duplex Stability with AFM Force Spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Dutta, Samrat; Armitage, Bruce A; Lyubchenko, Yuri L

2016-03-15

Peptide nucleic acids (PNA) are synthetic polymers, the neutral peptide backbone of which provides elevated stability to PNA-PNA and PNA-DNA hybrid duplexes. It was demonstrated that incorporation of diethylene glycol (miniPEG) at the γ position of the peptide backbone increased the thermal stability of the hybrid duplexes (Sahu, B. et al. J. Org. Chem. 2011, 76, 5614-5627). Here, we applied atomic force microscopy (AFM) based single molecule force spectroscopy and dynamic force spectroscopy (DFS) to test the strength and stability of the hybrid 10 bp duplex. This hybrid duplex consisted of miniPEGγ-PNA and DNA of the same length (γ(MP)PNA-DNA), which we compared to a DNA duplex with a homologous sequence. AFM force spectroscopy data obtained at the same conditions showed that the γ(MP)PNA-DNA hybrid is more stable than the DNA counterpart, 65 ± 15 pN vs 47 ± 15 pN, respectively. The DFS measurements performed in a range of pulling speeds analyzed in the framework of the Bell-Evans approach yielded a dissociation constant, koff ≈ 0.030 ± 0.01 s⁻¹ for γ(MP)PNA-DNA hybrid duplex vs 0.375 ± 0.18 s⁻¹ for the DNA-DNA duplex suggesting that the hybrid duplex is much more stable. Correlating the high affinity of γ(MP)PNA-DNA to slow dissociation kinetics is consistent with prior bulk characterization by surface plasmon resonance. Given the growing interest in γ(MP)PNA as well as other synthetic DNA analogues, the use of single molecule experiments along with computational analysis of force spectroscopy data will provide direct characterization of various modifications as well as higher order structures such as triplexes and quadruplexes.

Application of Enlisted Force Retention Levels and Career Field Stability

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-23

APPLICATION OF ENLISTED FORCE RETENTION LEVELS AND CAREER FIELD STABILITY THESIS Presented to the Faculty Department of Operational Sciences ...Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Operations Research Jamie T. Zimmermann, MS, BS Captain, USAF March 2017...Appendix B. The function proc lifetest is a nonparametric estimate of the survivor function using either the Kaplan-Meier method or the actuarial

Effect of Electrodynamic Forces on the Attitude Stabilization of a Satellite in Ecliptic orbits

Science.gov (United States)

Abdel-Aziz, Yehia

This work is based on the previous paper of the author [1]. The present paper is devoted to the investigation of the attitude dynamics of an ecliptic satellite moving in the magnetic field of the Earth. Eelectrodynamic forces result from the motion of a charged satelite relative to the magnetic field of the Earth. The torque due to electrodynamic effect of the Lorentz forces on the attitude stabilization of the satellite is studied with the detailed model of the Earth's magnetic field. A method for estimating the stable and unstable regions of the equilibrium positions based on Euler's equation is also discussed. The results show that Lorentz forces can affect the stablization of the satellite, in particular for highly eccentric orbits and also for large satellte. [1] Abdel-Aziz, Y. A. Attitude Stabilization of a Rigid Spacecraft in the Geomagnetic Field. AdSpR 40, 18-24, 2007.

A Comparison of Balance and Postural Stability Assessment Tools: BESS Versus NeuroCom Balance Manager

OpenAIRE

Joliffe, Jamie

2012-01-01

Postural stability assessment tools are one of the many ways concussions can be assessed and return to play decisions can be made; two of which are the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) and force plate technology. OBJECTIVE: Validate the modified BESS used by Utah State University by comparing it to equivalent tests on the NeuroCom Balance Manager System. METHODS: 114 current or previous Utah State football players ranging in age from 18-24. Each athlete conducted a baseline BESS test durin...

Static and dynamic stability of the guidance force in a side-suspended HTS maglev system

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Dajin; Cui, Chenyu; Zhao, Lifeng; Zhang, Yong; Wang, Xiqing; Zhao, Yong

2017-02-01

The static and dynamic stability of the guidance force in a side-suspended HTS-PMG (permanent magnetic guideway) system were studied theoretically and experimentally. It is found that there are two types of guidance force that exist in the HTS-PMG system, which are sensitive to the levitation gap and the arrangement of YBCO bulks around the central axis of the PMG. An optimized YBCO array was used to stabilize the system, which enabled a side-suspended HTS-PMG maglev vehicle to run stably at 102 km h-1 on a circular test track with 6.5 m in diameter.

Postural steadiness and ankle force variability in peripheral neuropathy

Science.gov (United States)

Paxton, Roger J.; Feldman-Kothe, Caitlin; Trabert, Megan K.; Hitchcock, Leah N.; Reiser, Raoul F.; Tracy, Brian L.

2015-01-01

Introduction The purpose was to determine the effect of peripheral neuropathy (PN) on motor output variability for ankle muscles of older adults, and the relation between ankle motor variability and postural stability in PN patients. Methods Older adults with (O-PN) and without PN (O), and young adults (Y) underwent assessment of standing postural stability and ankle muscle force steadiness. Results O-PN displayed impaired ankle muscle force control and postural stability compared with O and Y groups. For O-PN, the amplitude of plantarflexor force fluctuations was moderately correlated with postural stability under no-vision conditions (r = 0.54, P = 0.01). Discussion The correlation of variations in ankle force with postural stability in PN suggests a contribution of ankle muscle dyscontrol to the postural instability that impacts physical function for older adults with PN. PMID:26284897

General stability of memory-type thermoelastic Timoshenko beam acting on shear force

Science.gov (United States)

Apalara, Tijani A.

2018-03-01

In this paper, we consider a linear thermoelastic Timoshenko system with memory effects where the thermoelastic coupling is acting on shear force under Neumann-Dirichlet-Dirichlet boundary conditions. The same system with fully Dirichlet boundary conditions was considered by Messaoudi and Fareh (Nonlinear Anal TMA 74(18):6895-6906, 2011, Acta Math Sci 33(1):23-40, 2013), but they obtained a general stability result which depends on the speeds of wave propagation. In our case, we obtained a general stability result irrespective of the wave speeds of the system.

Application of stability enhancing minimum interfacial pressure force model for MARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Won Jae; Lim, Ho Gon; Kim, Kyung Doo; Ha, Kwi Seok

2001-04-01

For thermal-hydraulic modeling of two-phase flow systems, two-fluid model, which assumes that the pressures of liquid, vapor and interface are identical, a so-called single-pressure model, is commonly used in codes for nuclear reactor safety analyses. Typical two-phase model with single pressure assumption possesses complex characteristics that result in system being ill-posed. As a result, typical single pressure model may cause the unbounded growth of instabilities. In order to overcome the ill-posedness of single-pressure two-fluid model, a hyperbolic equation system has been developed by introducing an interfacial pressure force into single pressure two-fluid model. The potential impact of the present model on the stability of finite difference solution has been examined by Von-Neumann stability analysis. The obvious improvement in numerical stability has been found when a semi-implicit time advancement scheme is used. Numerical experiments using the pilot code were also performed for the conceptual problems. It was found that the result was consistent with numerical stability test. The new model was implemented to MARS using Two-step approach. Through the conceptual stability test problems and benchmark problems, the applicability of the new model was verified.

Application of stability enhancing minimum interfacial pressure force model for MARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Won Jae; Lim, Ho Gon; Kim, Kyung Doo; Ha, Kwi Seok

2001-04-01

For thermal-hydraulic modeling of two-phase flow systems, two-fluid model, which assumes that the pressures of liquid, vapor and interface are identical, a so-called single-pressure model, is commonly used in codes for nuclear reactor safety analyses. Typical two-phase model with single pressure assumption possesses complex characteristics that result in system being ill-posed. As a result, typical single pressure model may cause the unbounded growth of instabilities. In order to overcome the ill-posedness of single-pressure two-fluid model, a hyperbolic equation system has been developed by introducing an interfacial pressure force into single pressure two-fluid model. The potential impact of the present model on the stability of finite difference solution has been examined by Von-Neumann stability analysis. The obvious improvement in numerical stability has been found when a semi-implicit time advancement scheme is used. Numerical experiments using the pilot code were also performed for the conceptual problems. It was found that the result was consistent with numerical stability test. The new model was implemented to MARS using Two-step approach. Through the conceptual stability test problems and benchmark problems, the applicability of the new model was verified

SOME ASPECTS OF THE DEFINITION OF EMPTY CARS STABILITY FROM SQUEEZING THEIR LONGITUDINAL FORCES IN THE FREIGHT TRAIN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. O. Shvets

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Despite of the implementation various programs to improve the safety of train traffic problem of reducing gatherings rolling stock off the rails is still relevant. The study aims to clarify the existing method of determining the factor of stability from the tire longitudinal forces to ensure the sustainability of cars with increasing speeds of the rolling stock. Methodology. Research was conducted by the method of mathematical modeling of loading freight car when driving at different speeds on straight and curved track sections. Findings. Analysis of the results shows that, for all selected freight cars for the calculation, the value of the safety factor by squeezing is smaller than the formulas of Standards. Corrections made to the formula for determining the safety factor by squeezing longitudinal forces, would achieve: 1 a higher safety factor of lightweight cars, excluding them squeezing longitudinal forces in the entire range of speeds of freight trains; 2 to develop and implement measures to prevent squeezing of cars in the entire range of motion; 3 to determine the degree of stability of the empty car in the head, middle and tail laden trains; 4 to offer optimal scheme of mixed trains formation. Originality. The analysis of existing methods for determining stability coefficient cars in freight trains from squeezing their longitudinal forces is presented in studies. Proposals are developed for the refinement of the design phase, construction and operation. Practical value. This study clarifies the existing method of determining the safety factor of stability from the squeezing longitudinal forces, as well as the influence on the magnitude of the coefficient of speed of movement of the rolling stock. Developed proposals for the refinement of existing methods for determining stability coefficient of longitudinal forces squeezing cars in a train, can reduce the number of retirements cars derailed by taking into account in the

Force direction patterns promote whole body stability even in hip-flexed walking, but not upper body stability in human upright walking

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, Roy; Rode, Christian; Aminiaghdam, Soran; Vielemeyer, Johanna; Blickhan, Reinhard

2017-11-01

Directing the ground reaction forces to a focal point above the centre of mass of the whole body promotes whole body stability in human and animal gaits similar to a physical pendulum. Here we show that this is the case in human hip-flexed walking as well. For all upper body orientations (upright, 25°, 50°, maximum), the focal point was well above the centre of mass of the whole body, suggesting its general relevance for walking. Deviations of the forces' lines of action from the focal point increased with upper body inclination from 25 to 43 mm root mean square deviation (RMSD). With respect to the upper body in upright gait, the resulting force also passed near a focal point (17 mm RMSD between the net forces' lines of action and focal point), but this point was 18 cm below its centre of mass. While this behaviour mimics an unstable inverted pendulum, it leads to resulting torques of alternating sign in accordance with periodic upper body motion and probably provides for low metabolic cost of upright gait by keeping hip torques small. Stabilization of the upper body is a consequence of other mechanisms, e.g. hip reflexes or muscle preflexes.

Teleoperator comfort and psychometric stability: Criteria for limiting master-controller forces of operation and feedback during telemanipulation

Science.gov (United States)

Wiker, Steven F.; Hershkowitz, Elaine; Zik, John

1989-01-01

The following question is addressed: How much force should operators exert, or experience, when operating a telemanipulator master-controller for sustained periods without encountering significant fatigue and discomfort, and without loss of stability in psychometric perception of force. The need to minimize exertion demands to avoid fatigue is diametrically opposed by the need to present a wide range of force stimuli to enhance perception of applied or reflected forces. For 104 minutes subjects repetitiously performed a series of 15 s isometric pinch grasps; controlled at 5, 15, and 25 percent of their maximum voluntary strength. Cyclic pinch grasps were separated by rest intervals of 7.5 and 15 s. Upon completion of every 10 minute period, subjects interrupted grasping activities to gage the intensity of fatigue and discomfort in the hand and forearm using a cross-modal matching technique. A series of psychometric tests were then conducted to determine accuracy and stability in the subject's perception of force experienced. Results showed that onset of sensations of discomfort and fatigue were dependent upon the magnitude of grasp force, work/rest ratio, and progression of task. Declines in force magnitude estimation slopes, indicating a reduction in force perception sensitivity, occurred with increased grasp force when work/rest ratios were greater than 1.0. Specific recommendations for avoiding discomfort and shifts in force perception, by limiting pinch grasp force required for master-controller operation and range of force reflection or work/rest ratios, are provided.

Stability Control of Force-Reflected Nonlinear Multilateral Teleoperation System under Time-Varying Delays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Da Sun

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A novel control algorithm based on the modified wave-variable controllers is proposed to achieve accurate position synchronization and reasonable force tracking of the nonlinear single-master-multiple-slave teleoperation system and simultaneously guarantee overall system’s stability in the presence of large time-varying delays. The system stability in different scenarios of human and environment situations has been analyzed. The proposed method is validated through experimental work based on the 3-DOF trilateral teleoperation system consisting of three different manipulators. The experimental results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed algorithm to achieve high transparency and robust stability in nonlinear single-master-multiple-slave teleoperation system in the presence of time-varying delays.

Structure and stability of semiconductor tip apexes for atomic force microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pou, P; Perez, R; Ghasemi, S A; Goedecker, S; Jelinek, P; Lenosky, T

2009-01-01

The short range force between the tip and the surface atoms, that is responsible for atomic-scale contrast in atomic force microscopy (AFM), is mainly controlled by the tip apex. Thus, the ability to image, manipulate and chemically identify single atoms in semiconductor surfaces is ultimately determined by the apex structure and its composition. Here we present a detailed and systematic study of the most common structures that can be expected at the apex of the Si tips used in experiments. We tackle the determination of the structure and stability of Si tips with three different approaches: (i) first principles simulations of small tip apexes; (ii) simulated annealing of a Si cluster; and (iii) a minima hopping study of large Si tips. We have probed the tip apexes by making atomic contacts between the tips and then compared force-distance curves with the experimental short range forces obtained with dynamic force spectroscopy. The main conclusion is that although there are multiple stable solutions for the atomically sharp tip apexes, they can be grouped into a few types with characteristic atomic structures and properties. We also show that the structure of the last atomic layers in a tip apex can be both crystalline and amorphous. We corroborate that the atomically sharp tips are thermodynamically stable and that the tip-surface interaction helps to produce the atomic protrusion needed to get atomic resolution.

Determination of tensile forces to enhance the supply stability of reinforced fiber

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Kun Woo; Lee, Jae Wook; Jang, Jin Seok; Jeong, Myeong Sik; Oh, Joo Young; Kang, Hoon; Kang, Ji Heon [Daegyeong Regional Division, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Daegu (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyung Ryul [Agency for Defense Development, Changwon (Korea, Republic of); Yoo, Wan Suk [School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2016-12-15

The manufacturing process of long fiber thermoplastic is initiated by supplying reinforced fiber wound in a spool dispenser. If problems such as tangling or kinking occur in the apparatus used for supplying the reinforced fiber in the long-fiber thermoplastic direct process, the productivity of the long-fiber thermoplastic decreases. Therefore, it is important to enhance the supply stability of reinforced fiber. In general, the increase in supply stability can be achieved by maintaining a steady balloon shape that is controlled by the unwinding velocity or tensile force of the reinforced fiber. In this research, the range of suitable tensile force was determined under the assumption that the unwinding velocity remained constant. The reinforced fiber was assumed to be inextensible, homogeneous, and isotropic and to have uniform density. The transient-state unwinding equation of motion to analyze the unwinding motion of reinforced fiber can be derived by using Hamilton’s principle for an open system in which mass can change within a control volume. In the process of solving the transient-state unwinding equation of motion, the exact two-point boundary conditions are adopted for each time step.

Argonne program to assess superconducting stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, S.T.; Turner, L.R.; Huang, Y.C.; Dawson, J.W.; Harrang, J.; Hilal, M.A.; Lieberg, M.; Gonczy, J.D.; Kim, S.H.

1978-01-01

To assess superconductor stability, a complete program is developed to obtain basic information on the effects of local mechanical perturbations on the cryostatic stability. An analytical model for computing the transient recovery following the mechanical perturbation is developed. A test program is undertaken to develop data needed to verify the conclusions reached through the analytical studies

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

Assessment of postural stability in overweight and obese middle-aged women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zuzana Kováčiková

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Obesity and overweight are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation and are associated with balance disorders. Objective: To assess the postural stability in a natural stance in overweight and obese women based on center of pressure (CoP velocity in the anterior-posterior (AP and medial-lateral (ML directions. Methods: A total of 102 women categorized according to body mass index into normal weight, overweight and obese categories underwent a measurement of quiet standing with their eyes open (EO and with their eyes closed (EC. Postural stability was assessed with a force platform. The mean CoP velocity was evaluated in both directions. Results: In the AP direction under EO conditions, obese women swayed significantly faster than normal weight women (1.01 cm/s and 0.80 cm/s. In the ML direction, a higher CoP velocity was observed in normal weight women than in obese women (0.52 cm/s and 0.41 cm/s. Under EC conditions in the AP direction, obese women swayed significantly faster than normal weight women (1.29 cm/s and 0.97 cm/s. In the ML direction, a higher CoP velocity was observed in normal weight women than in obese women (0.65 cm/s and 0.48 cm/s. Conclusions: Results suggest a negative impact of obesity on postural stability in the AP direction. In the ML direction, obese women were more stable than normal weight women, probably due to enlargement of the support base in a natural stance.

Simulation of VDE under intervention of vertical stability control and vertical electromagnetic force on the ITER vacuum vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyamoto, S.; Sugihara, M.; Shinya, K.; Nakamura, Y.; Toshimitsu, S.; Lukash, V.E.; Khayrutdinov, R.R.; Sugie, T.; Kusama, Y.; Yoshino, R.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Taking account of intervention of VS control, VDE simulations were carried out. ► Malfunctioning of VS circuit (positive feedback) enhances the vertical force. ► The worst case was explored for vertical force on the ITER vacuum vessel. ► We confirmed the force is still within the design margin even if the worst case. - Abstract: Vertical displacement events (VDEs) and disruptions usually take place under intervention of vertical stability (VS) control and the vertical electromagnetic force induced on vacuum vessels is potentially influenced. This paper presents assessment of the force that arises from the VS control in ITER VDEs using a numerical simulation code DINA. The focus is on a possible malfunctioning of the ex-vessel VS control circuit: radial magnetic field is unintentionally applied to the direction of enhancing the vertical displacement further. Since this type of failure usually causes the largest forces (or halo currents) observed in the present experiments, this situation must be properly accommodated in the design of the ITER vacuum vessel. DINA analysis shows that although the ex-vessel VS control modifies radial field, it does not affect plasma motion and current quench behavior including halo current generation because the vacuum vessel shields the field created by the ex-vessel coils. Nevertheless, the VS control modifies the force on the vessel by directly acting on the eddy current carried by the conducting structures of the vessel. Although the worst case was explored in a range of plasma inductance and pattern of VS control in combination with the in-vessel VS control circuit, the result confirmed that the force is still within the design margin.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tobias Altmann

2018-02-01

Full Text Available 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.

Trunk response and stability in standing under sagittal-symmetric pull-push forces at different orientations, elevations and magnitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

El Ouaaid, Z; Shirazi-Adl, A; Plamondon, A

2018-03-21

To reduce lifting and associated low back injuries, manual material handling operations often involve pulling-pushing of carts at different weights, orientations, and heights. The loads on spine and risk of injury however need to be investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate muscle forces, spinal loads and trunk stability in pull-push tasks in sagittal-symmetric, static upright standing posture. Three hand-held load magnitudes (80, 120 and 160 N) at four elevations (0, 20, 40 and 60 cm to the L5-S1) and 24 force directions covering all pull/push orientations were considered. For this purpose, a musculoskeletal finite element model with kinematics measured earlier were used. Results demonstrated that peak spinal forces occur under inclined pull (lift) at upper elevations but inclined push at the lowermost one. Minimal spinal loads, on the other hand, occurred at and around vertical pull directions. Overall, spinal forces closely followed variations in the net external moment of pull-push forces at the L5-S1. Local lumbar muscles were most active in pulls while global extensor muscles in lifts. The trunk stability margin decreased with load elevation except at and around horizontal push; it peaked under pulls and reached minimum at vertical lifts. It also increased with antagonist activity in muscles and intra-abdominal pressure. Results provide insight into the marked effects of variation in the load orientation and elevation on muscle forces, spinal loads and trunk stability and hence offer help in rehabilitation, performance enhancement training and design of safer workplaces. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stability assessment for underground excavations and key construction techniques

CERN Document Server

Zhu, Hanhua; Zhao, Yu; Niu, Fusheng

2017-01-01

This book examines how the state of underground structures can be determined with the assistance of force, deformation and energy. It then analyzes mechanized shield methods, the New Austrian tunneling method (NATM) and conventional methods from this new perspective. The book gathers a wealth of cases reflecting the experiences of practitioners and administrators alike. Based on statistical and engineering studies of these cases, as well as lab and field experiments, it develops a stability assessment approach incorporating a stable equilibrium, which enables engineers to keep the structure and surrounding rocks safe as long as the stable equilibrium and deformation compliance are maintained. The book illustrates the implementation of the method in various tunneling contexts, including soil-rock mixed strata, tunneling beneath operating roads, underwater tunnels, and tunnel pit excavation. It offers a valuable guide for researchers, designers and engineers, especially those who are seeking to understand the u...

Assessment of Stability and Energy Dissipation Performances of an Antifer Layer Protected Caisson

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Sedat Kabdaşlı

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The present study intends to assess the stability and energy dissipation performances of a breakwater configuration (APC protected by an antifer layer. For comparison, an ordinary caisson (OC, which was 5% wider and 10% heavier, was also investigated. Physical models were implemented and tested under regular and irregular waves; and resulting linear and angular displacements were directly measured via a photogrammetric method. Additionally, wave forces and resulting horizontal displacements were estimated both from recorded pressure data and from individual incident waves by modified Goda method. To calculate the horizontal displacement, the estimated wave force time series were directly double-integrated, whilst the theoretical method proposed by Shimosako et al. (1994 were used on the individual force values. Although OC was tested under shorter durations and had a more favorable superstructure in terms of resisting forces, the results indicated that APC was significantly more stable. Energy dissipation performance of the tested configurations were quantified in terms of spectral averaged and phase resolved reflection coefficients, whereas antifer damage ratio was measured on a block-count basis. Results indicated that the APC configuration had an enhanced performance of dissipating the wave energy; moreover, the dissipated energy directly links to antifer damage ratio.

Final Environmental Assessment for the First Air Force Air Operations Center, First Air Force Headquarters/Air Force Forces Center, and Highway 98 Overpass at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

2004-01-01

no comments regarding the Draft Environmental Assessment for the First Air Force Operations Center, First Air Force Headquarters/Air Force Forces...COUNCIL ] No Comment BAY - BAY COUNTY No Final Comments Received ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY UNIT - OFFICE OF POLICY AND BUDGET, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY UNIT NO ...CONSERVATION COMMISSION [ NO COMMENT BY BRIAN BARNETT ON 4/12/04. [STATE - FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE [ No Comment [TRANSPORTATION - FLORIDA DEPARTMENT

DETERMINATION THE PERMISSIBLE FORCES IN ASSESSING THE LIFT RESISTANT FACTOR OF FREIGHT CARS IN TRAINS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. O. Shvets

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Purpose. In the analytical research are considered: 1 relationships between the longitudinal force acting on the car in the train; 2 lateral and vertical forces of interaction in the contact zone «wheel – rail»; 3 dynamic indicators of cars with the magnitude of the car lift resistance factor; 4 obtaining of the dependencies between them. Methodology. The study was conducted by an analytical method assessing the sustainability of the freight car when driving at different speeds on the straight and curved track sections. Findings. In the process of studying the motion of the train, in the investigation of transport events, as well as during the training on the simulator operator, to assess the actions of the driver, the values of the longitudinal forces in the inter car connections are used. To calculate the longitudinal compressive forces, acting on the car, in which car lift resistance factor will be equal to the allowable value (critical force. To assess the impact on the value of the longitudinal force speed, coefficients of the vertical and horizontal dynamics, as well as the wind load on the side surface of the car body are the results of calculations of motion of the empty gondola car, model № 12-532 curve radius of 250 m with a rise of 150 mm and a transverse run of body of car frame relative to the track axis of the guide section 50 mm. Originality. In this study, the technique of determining the longitudinal compressive force was shown, that is somewhat different from the standard. So, as well as assessing the impact on it the speed of rolling coefficients of vertical and horizontal dynamics and wind load on the side surface of the car body. Practical value. The authors developed proposals on the enhancement of existing methods for determining the value of the longitudinal compressive forces acting on the car in which the safety value of the car lift resistance factor will be equal to the allowable value. It will evaluate the

A novel vehicle dynamics stability control algorithm based on the hierarchical strategy with constrain of nonlinear tyre forces

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Liang; Jia, Gang; Chen, Jie; Zhu, Hongjun; Cao, Dongpu; Song, Jian

2015-08-01

Direct yaw moment control (DYC), which differentially brakes the wheels to produce a yaw moment for the vehicle stability in a steering process, is an important part of electric stability control system. In this field, most control methods utilise the active brake pressure with a feedback controller to adjust the braked wheel. However, the method might lead to a control delay or overshoot because of the lack of a quantitative project relationship between target values from the upper stability controller to the lower pressure controller. Meanwhile, the stability controller usually ignores the implementing ability of the tyre forces, which might be restrained by the combined-slip dynamics of the tyre. Therefore, a novel control algorithm of DYC based on the hierarchical control strategy is brought forward in this paper. As for the upper controller, a correctional linear quadratic regulator, which not only contains feedback control but also contains feed forward control, is introduced to deduce the object of the stability yaw moment in order to guarantee the yaw rate and side-slip angle stability. As for the medium and lower controller, the quantitative relationship between the vehicle stability object and the target tyre forces of controlled wheels is proposed to achieve smooth control performance based on a combined-slip tyre model. The simulations with the hardware-in-the-loop platform validate that the proposed algorithm can improve the stability of the vehicle effectively.

Prediction of dynamic cutting force and regenerative chatter stability in inserted cutters milling

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhongqun; Liu, Qiang; Yuan, Songmei; Huang, Kaisheng

2013-05-01

Currently, the modeling of cutting process mainly focuses on two aspects: one is the setup of the universal cutting force model that can be adapted to a broader cutting condition; the other is the setup of the exact cutting force model that can accurately reflect a true cutting process. However, there is little research on the prediction of chatter stablity in milling. Based on the generalized mathematical model of inserted cutters introduced by ENGIN, an improved geometrical, mechanical and dynamic model for the vast variety of inserted cutters widely used in engineering applications is presented, in which the average directional cutting force coefficients are obtained by means of a numerical approach, thus leading to an analytical determination of stability lobes diagram (SLD) on the axial depth of cut. A new kind of SLD on the radial depth of cut is also created to satisfy the special requirement of inserted cutter milling. The corresponding algorithms used for predicting cutting forces, vibrations, dimensional surface finish and stability lobes in inserted cutter milling under different cutting conditions are put forward. Thereafter, a dynamic simulation module of inserted cutter milling is implemented by using hybrid program of Matlab with Visual Basic. Verification tests are conducted on a vertical machine center for Aluminum alloy LC4 by using two different types of inserted cutters, and the effectiveness of the model and the algorithm is verified by the good agreement of simulation result with that of cutting tests under different cutting conditions. The proposed model can predict the cutting process accurately under a variety of cutting conditions, and a high efficient and chatter-free milling operation can be achieved by a cutting condition optimization in industry applications.

A theoretical study of the influence of superconductor and magnet dimensions on the levitation force and stability of maglev systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Del-Valle, Nuria; Sanchez, Alvaro; Navau, Carles; Chen Duxing

2008-01-01

The levitation force and stability of superconducting levitation devices are strongly dependent on both the geometry and dimensions of the components and the cooling process of the superconductor. In this work we study these effects in levitating systems consisting of an infinitely long superconductor and a guideway of different arrangements of infinitely long parallel permanent magnets. Using a model based on the critical-state model and a magnetic-energy minimization procedure, taking into account the demagnetization fields, we analyze the influence of parameters of the system such as the width and height of the superconductor and those of the permanent magnets on the levitation force and stability for two different cooling processes, field cooling and zero-field cooling. The theoretical predictions are compared with existing experimental data. From the results obtained, we provide some general trends on how the dimensions of the components of maglev systems could be chosen to improve both the levitation force and the stability.

A theoretical study of the influence of superconductor and magnet dimensions on the levitation force and stability of maglev systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Del-Valle, Nuria; Sanchez, Alvaro; Navau, Carles; Chen Duxing [Grup d' Electromagnetisme, Departament de Fisica, Universitat Autonoma Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Catalonia (Spain)

2008-12-15

The levitation force and stability of superconducting levitation devices are strongly dependent on both the geometry and dimensions of the components and the cooling process of the superconductor. In this work we study these effects in levitating systems consisting of an infinitely long superconductor and a guideway of different arrangements of infinitely long parallel permanent magnets. Using a model based on the critical-state model and a magnetic-energy minimization procedure, taking into account the demagnetization fields, we analyze the influence of parameters of the system such as the width and height of the superconductor and those of the permanent magnets on the levitation force and stability for two different cooling processes, field cooling and zero-field cooling. The theoretical predictions are compared with existing experimental data. From the results obtained, we provide some general trends on how the dimensions of the components of maglev systems could be chosen to improve both the levitation force and the stability.

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

OpenAIRE

Tobias Altmann; Marcus Roth

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 studie...

Practical considerations in voltage stability assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kundur, P; Gao, B [Powertech Labs. Inc., Surrey, BC (Canada)

1994-12-31

This paper deals with some of the most important practical issues related to voltage stability assessment of large practical systems. A brief discussion of the practical aspects of voltage stability problem and prevention of voltage instability is given first, followed by descriptions of different analytical techniques and tools for voltage stability analysis. Presentations of analytical tools is focused on the VSTAB program which incorporates the modal analysis, continuation power flow, and shortest distance to instability techniques, Finally, an example case study of a practical large system is presented. The case study illustrates how modal analysis is used to determine the most effective load shedding scheme for preventing voltage instability. (author) 15 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.

The effect of the virtual mass force term on the stability of transient two-phase flow analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Tadashi; Hirano, Masashi; Tanabe, Fumiya

1989-08-01

The effect of the virtual mass force term on the stability of transient two-phase flow analysis is studied. The objective form of the virtual mass acceleration is used. The virtual mass coefficient is determined from the stability condition of basic equations against infinitesimal high wave-number perturbations. The parameter is chosen so that a reasonable agreement between the analytical and experimental sound speed in two-phase flows can be obtained. A one-dimensional sedimentation problem is simulated by the MINCS code which is a tool for transient two-phase flow analysis. The stability analysis is performed for the numerical procedure. It is shown that calculated results are stabilized so long as the virtual mass coefficient satisfies the stability condition of differential equations. (author)

Body-force-driven multiplicity and stability of combined free and forced convection in rotating curved ducts: Coriolis force

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, T.; Wang, L.

A numerical study is made on the fully developed bifurcation structure and stability of forced convection in a rotating curved duct of square cross-section. Solution structure is determined as variation of a parameter that indicates the effect of rotation (Coriolis-force-driven multiplicity). Three solutions for the flows in a stationary curved duct obtained in the work of Yang and Wang [1] are used as initial solutions of continuation calculations to unfold the solution branches. Twenty-one solution branches are found comparing with five obtained by Selmi and Nandakumar [2]. Dynamic responses of the multiple solutions to finite random disturbances are examined by the direct transient computation. Results show that characteristics of physically realizable fully developed flows changes significantly with variation of effect of rotation. Fourteen sub-ranges are identified according to characteristics of physically realizable solutions. As rotation effect changes, possible physically realizable fully-developed flows can be stable steady 2-cell state, stable multi-cell state, temporal periodic oscillation between symmetric/asymmetric 2-cell/4-cell flows, temporal oscillation with intermittency, temporal chaotic oscillation and temporal oscillation with pseudo intermittency. Among these possible physically realizable fully developed flows, stable multi-cell state and stable steady 2-cell state exist as dual stable. And oscillation with pseudo intermittency is a new phenomenon. In addition to the temporal oscillation with intermittency, sudden shift from stationary stable solution to temporal chaotic oscillation is identified to be another way of onset of chaos.

Effect of weak geometrical forcing on the stability of Taylor-vortex flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Xiaolong; Khayat, Roger E

2008-01-01

Linear stability analysis of fully developed axisymmetric steady and spatially modulated Taylor-Couette flow is carried out in the narrow-gap limit. The inner cylinder is sinusoidally modulated and rotating, while the outer cylinder is straight and at rest. The modulation amplitude is assumed to be small, and the base steady flow is determined using a regular perturbation expansion of the flow field coupled to a variable-step finite-difference scheme. The disturbance flow equations are derived within the framework of Floquet theory and solved using a nonlinear two-point boundary-value approach. In contrast to unforced Taylor-Couette flow, only vortical base flow is possible in the forced case. It is found that the forcing tends to generally destabilize the base flow, especially around the critical point. Both the critical Taylor number and wavenumber are found to decrease essentially linearly with modulation amplitude.

Mechanical stability assessment of novel orthodontic mini-implant designs: Part 2.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Christine; Truong, Peter; Song, Ha Na; Wu, Benjamin M; Moon, Won

2011-11-01

To assess the mechanical stability of a newly revised orthodontic mini-implant design (N2) compared with a design introduced in Part 1 of the study (N1) and the most widely-used commercially-available design (CA). To evaluate the mean buccal bone thickness of maxillary and mandibular posterior teeth using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). From the CBCT scans of 20 patients, six tomographic cross-sections were generated for each tooth. Buccal bone thickness was measured from the most convex point on the bone to the root surface. CA (1.5 mm in diameter and 6 mm in length), N1, and N2 (shorter and narrower than N1) were inserted in simulated bone with cortical and trabecular bone layers. Mechanical stability was compared in vitro through torque and lateral displacement tests. The bone thickness ranged from 2.26 to 3.88 mm. Maximum insertion torque was decreased significantly in N2 compared to N1. However, force levels for all displacement distances and torque ratio were the highest in N2, followed by N1 and CA (α = .05). Both torque and lateral displacement tests highlighted the enhanced stability of N2 compared with CA. Design revisions to N1 effectively mitigated N1's high insertion torque and thus potentially reduced microdamage to the surrounding bone. The N2 design is promising as evidenced by enhanced stability and high mechanical efficiency. Moreover, N2 is not limited to placement in interradicular spaces and has the capacity to be placed in the buccal bone superficial to the root surface with diminished risk of endangering nearby anatomic structures during placement and treatment.

Morocco; Financial System Stability Assessment: Update

OpenAIRE

International Monetary Fund

2008-01-01

This paper presents an update to the Financial System Stability Assessment on Morocco. Major reforms have been achieved since the 2002 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) within a policy of actively promoting economic and financial sector opening. The 2002 FSAP recommendations have been largely implemented. Although the financial system is stable and considerably more robust than in the past, the liberalization of capital flows and increased exchange rate flexibility present challenges...

ASSESSMENT OF GRIP FORCE CONTROL IN PATIENTS WITH MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gregorij Kurillo

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Background. The majority of hand functionality tests are based on qualitative assessment which largely depends on the experience of the therapist. Computer-assisted methods can provide more objective and accurate measurements of the grip force and other parameters related to grasping.Methods. We analysed the grip force control in 12 patients with muscular dystrophy using the tracking system developed. The system consists of a grip-measuring device with endobjects assessing the force applied in different grips. The device was used as input to a tracking task where the patient applied the grip force according to the visual feedback from the computer screen. Each patient performed two tasks which consisted of tracking a ramp and sinus target.Results. We analysed the maximal grip force as assessed in the ramp task and the tracking accuracy of the sinus task. The results are compared among five different grips (cylindrical, lateral, palmar, pinch and spherical grip, applied with dominant and non-dominant hand. The results show no significant difference in tracking accuracy between the dominant and non-dominant hand.Conclusions. The results obtained in tracking the ramp target showed that the method could be used for the assessment of the muscle fatigue, providing quantitative information on muscle capacity. The results of the sinus-tracking task showed that the method can evaluate the grip force control in different types of grips, providing information on hand dexterity, muscle activation patterns or tremor.

Evaluation of methods to assess push/pull forces in a construction task

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoozemans, M J; Van Der Beek, Allard J.; Frings-Dresena, M H; Van der Molen, Henk F.

2001-01-01

The objective of the present study was to determine the validity of methods to assess push/pull forces exerted in a construction task. Forces assessed using a hand-held digital force gauge were compared to those obtained using a highly accurate measuring frame. No significant differences were found

Transient stability risk assessment of power systems incorporating wind farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Miao, Lu; Fang, Jiakun; Wen, Jinyu

2013-01-01

fed induction generator has been established. Wind penetration variation and multiple stochastic factors of power systems have been considered. The process of transient stability risk assessment based on the Monte Carlo method has been described and a comprehensive risk indicator has been proposed......Large-scale wind farm integration has brought several aspects of challenges to the transient stability of power systems. This paper focuses on the research of the transient stability of power systems incorporating with wind farms by utilizing risk assessment methods. The detailed model of double....... An investigation has been conducted into an improved 10-generator 39-bus system with a wind farm incorporated to verify the validity and feasibility of the risk assessment method proposed....

Automated Assessment of Postural Stability (AAPS)

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-01

performed a battery of standard clinical tests of dynamic posture, whereas the fourth subject performed the stereotyped postures (e.g. movements restricted...Processing & Control [2] Napoli A, Ward C, Glass S, Tucker C, Obeid I (2016) “Automated Assessment of Postural Stability System,” IEEE Engineering in

Stability Analysis of the Embankment Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G.S. Gopalakrishna

2009-01-01

Full Text Available In analysis of embankment model affected by dynamic force, employment of shaking table is a scientific way in assessment of earthquake behavior. This work focused on saturated loose sandy foundation and enbankment. The results generated through the pore pressure sensors indicated pore water pressure playing main role in creation of liquefaction and stability of the system, and also revealed deformation, settlement, liquefaction intensity and time stability of system in direct correlation with the strength and characteristics of soil. One of the economical methods in stabilization of soil foundation is improvement of some part soil foundation.

NUMBER OF SUCCESSIVE CYCLES NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE STABILITY OF SELECTED GROUND REACTION FORCE VARIABLES DURING CONTINUOUS JUMPING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jasmes M.W. Brownjohn

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Because of inherent variability in all human cyclical movements, such as walking, running and jumping, data collected across a single cycle might be atypical and potentially unable to represent an individual's generalized performance. The study described here was designed to determine the number of successive cycles due to continuous, repetitive countermovement jumping which a test subject should perform in a single experimental session to achieve stability of the mean of the corresponding continuously measured ground reaction force (GRF variables. Seven vertical GRF variables (period of jumping cycle, duration of contact phase, peak force amplitude and its timing, average rate of force development, average rate of force relaxation and impulse were extracted on the cycle-by-cycle basis from vertical jumping force time histories generated by twelve participants who were jumping in response to regular electronic metronome beats in the range 2-2.8 Hz. Stability of the selected GRF variables across successive jumping cycles was examined for three jumping rates (2, 2.4 and 2.8 Hz using two statistical methods: intra-class correlation (ICC analysis and segmental averaging technique (SAT. Results of the ICC analysis indicated that an average of four successive cycles (mean 4.5 ± 2.7 for 2 Hz; 3.9 ± 2.6 for 2.4 Hz; 3.3 ± 2.7 for 2.8 Hz were necessary to achieve maximum ICC values. Except for jumping period, maximum ICC values took values from 0.592 to 0.991 and all were significantly (p < 0.05 different from zero. Results of the SAT revealed that an average of ten successive cycles (mean 10.5 ± 3.5 for 2 Hz; 9.2 ± 3.8 for 2.4 Hz; 9.0 ± 3.9 for 2.8 Hz were necessary to achieve stability of the selected parameters using criteria previously reported in the literature. Using 10 reference trials, the SAT required standard deviation criterion values of 0.49, 0.41 and 0.55 for 2 Hz, 2.4 Hz and 2.8 Hz jumping rates, respectively, in order to approximate

Canada; Financial Sector Stability Assessment

OpenAIRE

International Monetary Fund

2014-01-01

This report discusses key findings of the Financial Sector Stability Assessment on Canada. Canada’s financial system successfully navigated the global financial crisis, and stress tests suggest that major financial institutions would continue to be resilient to credit, liquidity, and contagion risks arising from a severe stress scenario. Elevated housing prices and high household debt remain an area of concern, though targeted prudential and macroprudential measures are proving to be effectiv...

Assessing Leadership Potential for the Army's Future Force

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Donahue, Scott

2004-01-01

A transforming Army requires a corresponding transformation in its leader development and assessment methodology to enable the future force in the volatile uncertain complex and ambiguous contemporary...

Assessment of Submarine Slope Stability on the Continental Margin off SW Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Huai-Houh; Dong, Jia-Jyun; Cheng, Win-Bin; Su, Chih-Chieh

2017-04-01

The abundant gas hydrate reservoirs are distributed in the southwest (SW) off Taiwan. To explore this new energy, geological methods were systematically used and mainly emphasized on the storage potential evaluation. On the other hand, the correlation between gas hydrate dissociation and submarine slope stability is also an important issue. In this study, three submarine profiles on the active and passive continental margin were selected and assessed their slope stabilities by considering two influence factors (seismic forces and number of sedimentary layers). The gravity corers obtained from these three sites (Xiaoliuqiu, Yuan-An Ridge, and Pointer Ridge) to conduct soil laboratory tests. The physical property tests and isotropically consolidated undrained (CIU) triaxial tests were carried out to establish reference properties and shear strength parameters. Before the stability analysis is performed, it is also necessary to construct the seabed profile. For each submarine profile, data from P-waves and from S-waves generated by P-S conversion on reflection from airgun shots recorded along one line of ocean bottom seismometers were used to construct 2-D velocity sections. The seabed strata could be simplified to be only one sedimentary layer or to be multilayer in accordance with the velocity structure profile. Results show the safety factors (FS) of stability analysis are obviously different in considering the number of sedimentary layers, especially for a very thin layer of sediments on a steep slope. The simplified strata condition which treated all seabed strata as only one sedimentary layer might result in the FS lower than 1 and the slope was in an unstable state. On the contrary, the FS could be higher than 10 in a multilayer condition.

Techniques for Liquid Rocket Combustion Spontaneous Stability and Rough Combustion Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Kenny, R. J.; Giacomoni, C.; Casiano, M. J.; Fischbach, S. R.

2016-01-01

This work presents techniques for liquid rocket engine combustion stability assessments with respect to spontaneous stability and rough combustion. Techniques covering empirical parameter extraction, which were established in prior works, are applied for three additional programs: the F-1 Gas Generator (F1GG) component test program, the RS-84 preburner component test program, and the Marshall Integrated Test Rig (MITR) program. Stability assessment parameters from these programs are compared against prior established spontaneous stability metrics and updates are identified. Also, a procedure for comparing measured with predicted mode shapes is presented, based on an extension of the Modal Assurance Criterion (MAC).

Final Environmental Assessment Travis Air Force Base Burke Property Housing

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1999-01-01

... (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508) and Air Force Instruction 32-7061, the U.S. Air Force conducted an assessment of the potential environmental consequences of the construction of up to 281 military family housing units at Travis AFB...

Assessment of Effective Prestressed Force of Nuclear Containment Building using SI Technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, H. P.; Jang, J. B.; Hwang, K. M.; Song, Y. C. [Korea Electric Power Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2010-10-15

Bonded tendons have been used in reactor buildings of heavy water reactors and the light water reactors of some nuclear power plants operating in Korea. The assessment of prestressed forces on those bonded tendons is becoming an important issue in assuring their continuous operation beyond their design life. In order to assess the effective prestressed force on the bonded tendon, indirect assessment techniques have been applying to the test beams which were manufactured on construction time. Therefore, this research mainly forced to establish the assessment methodology to measure directly the effective prestressed force on the bonded tendon of containment buildings using System Identification (SI) technique. To accomplish this purpose, simple SI method was proposed and adapted three dimensional finite element analysis of the 1:4 scale prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) tested by Sandia National Laboratory in 2000

Prospects for stability in a nuclear subcontinent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajagopal, S; Chari, Sridhar K.

2003-01-01

This book explore the prospects for stability in a nuclear sub-continent. The nonproliferation regimes and nuclear threat reduction, nonproliferation regimes and south asia - is there a meeting point?; maintaining a threshold of strategic autonomy at least cost: continuity in the evolution of India's nuclear policies; role of nuclear doctrines and the state of the armed forces in South Asia; nuclear weapons, deterrence and stability in the international system: South Asian dynamics; assessing China's Asian role and security policies; Kargil war to current threat of war: prospects for stability; discussion; international terrorism and its impact on South Asian stability; a view from Bangladesh etc. are some of the topics covered

Control of locomotor stability in stabilizing and destabilizing environments.

Science.gov (United States)

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 (pfeedforward adaptions to increase control of lateral stability. In contrast, in the destabilizing field, non-impaired subjects increased movement variability (p0.05). When the destabilizing field was removed, increases in movement variability persisted (pfeedforward decreases in resistance to perturbations. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Morocco; Financial System Stability Assessment

OpenAIRE

International Monetary Fund

2003-01-01

The Financial System Stability Assessment of Morocco reviews the reform program that is aimed at establishing a modern, market-oriented financial system that optimizes the mobilization of savings and the allocation of financial resources. It reviews the modernization of the banking sector and the development of competition within the sector, development of financial markets, and removal of constraints on financial system activity. It also provides reports on the Observance of Standards and Co...

Nigeria; Financial Sector Stability Assessment

OpenAIRE

International Monetary Fund

2013-01-01

This Financial Sector Stability Assessment on Nigeria discusses the macroeconomic performance and structure of the financial system. Although Nigerian economy experienced both domestic and external shocks in recent years, the economy continued to grow rapidly, achieving more than 7 percent growth each year since 2009. The performance of financial institutions has begun to improve, though some of the emergency anti-crisis measures continue to be in place. However, the regulatory and supervisor...

Effect of compressive force on aeroelastic stability of a strut-braced wing

Science.gov (United States)

Sulaeman, Erwin

2002-01-01

Recent investigations of a strut-braced wing (SBW) aircraft show that, at high positive load factors, a large tensile force in the strut leads to a considerable compressive axial force in the inner wing, resulting in a reduced bending stiffness and even buckling of the wing. Studying the influence of this compressive force on the structural response of SBW is thus of paramount importance in the early stage of SBW design. The purpose of the this research is to investigate the effect of compressive force on aeroelastic stability of the SBW using efficient structural finite element and aerodynamic lifting surface methods. A procedure is developed to generate wing stiffness distribution for detailed and simplified wing models and to include the compressive force effect in the SBW aeroelastic analysis. A sensitivity study is performed to generate response surface equations for the wing flutter speed as functions of several design variables. These aeroelastic procedures and response surface equations provide a valuable tool and trend data to study the unconventional nature of SBW. In order to estimate the effect of the compressive force, the inner part of the wing structure is modeled as a beam-column. A structural finite element method is developed based on an analytical stiffness matrix formulation of a non-uniform beam element with arbitrary polynomial variations in the cross section. By using this formulation, the number of elements to model the wing structure can be reduced without degrading the accuracy. The unsteady aerodynamic prediction is based on a discrete element lifting surface method. The present formulation improves the accuracy of existing lifting surface methods by implementing a more rigorous treatment on the aerodynamic kernel integration. The singularity of the kernel function is isolated by implementing an exact expansion series to solve an incomplete cylindrical function problem. A hybrid doublet lattice/doublet point scheme is devised to reduce

Periodic Forcing of Inhibition-Stabilized Networks: Nonlinear Resonances and Phase-Amplitude Coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Veltz, Romain; Sejnowski, Terrence J.

2016-01-01

Inhibition-stabilized networks (ISNs) are neural architectures with strong positive feedback among pyramidal neurons balanced by strong negative feedback from inhibitory interneurons, a circuit element found in the hippocampus and the primary visual cortex. In their working regime, ISNs produce damped oscillations in the γ-range in response to inputs to the inhibitory population. In order to understand the properties of interconnected ISNs, we investigated periodic forcing of ISNs. We show that ISNs can be excited over a range of frequencies and derive properties of the resonance peaks. In particular, we studied the phase-locked solutions, the torus solutions, and the resonance peaks. Periodically forced ISNs respond with (possibly multistable) phase-locked activity, whereas networks with sustained intrinsic oscillations respond more dynamically to periodic inputs with tori. Hence, the dynamics are surprisingly rich, and phase effects alone do not adequately describe the network response. This strengthens the importance of phaseamplitude coupling as opposed to phase-phase coupling in providing multiple frequencies for multiplexing and routing information. PMID:26496044

Developing a stability assessment method for power electronics-based microgrids

Science.gov (United States)

Austin, Peter M.

Modern microgrids with microsources and energy storage are dependent on power electronics for control and regulation. Under certain circumstances power electronics can be destabilizing to the system due to an effect called negative incremental impedance. A careful review of the theory and literature on the subject is presented. This includes stability criteria for both AC and DC systems, as well as a discussion on the limitations posed by the analysis. A method to integrate stability assessment with higher-level microgrid architectural design is proposed. Crucial to this is impedance characterization of individual components, which was accomplished through simulation. DC and AC impedance measurement blocks were created in Matlab simulink to automate the process. A detailed switching-level model of a DC microgrid was implemented in simulink, including wind turbine microsource, battery storage, and three phase inverter. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) was included to maximize the efficiency of the turbine and was implemented through three rectifier alternatives and control schemes. The stability characteristics of each was compared in the final analysis. Impedance data was collected individually from the components and used to assess stability in the system as a whole. The results included the assessment of stability, margin, and unstable operating points to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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, pfootwear for the anteroposterior stability index (pfootwear (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.

Assessment of the mechanical stability of underground excavations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuroki, Shigemori; Taniguchi, Wataru

1999-01-01

Each tunnel in the underground high level radioactive waste repository must be mechanically stable to maintain safety throughout the construction, emplacement operations and closure phase. The mechanical stability of underground excavations were assessed using a theoretical analysis and a finite element method taking a wide range of geological environment in Japan into consideration to establish confidence in the construction of disposal facilities. The results show that it is possible to maintain the mechanical stability with adequate tunnel spacing and disposal pit pitch and proper mechanical support. The procedure used for the analysis of the mechanical stability in the H12 report and the results are described in this report. (author)

Stability and instability of axisymmetric droplets in thermocapillary-driven thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Nicolaou, Zachary G.

2018-03-01

The stability of compactly supported, axisymmetric droplet states is considered for driven thin viscous films evolving on two-dimensional surfaces. Stability is assessed using Lyapunov energy methods afforded by the Cahn-Hilliard variational form of the governing equation. For general driving forces, a criterion on the gradient of profiles at the boundary of their support (their contact slope) is shown to be a necessary condition for stability. Additional necessary and sufficient conditions for stability are established for a specific driving force corresponding to a thermocapillary-driven film. It is found that only droplets of sufficiently short height that satisfy the contact slope criterion are stable. This destabilization of droplets with increasing height is characterized as a saddle-node bifurcation between a branch of tall, unstable droplets and a branch of short, stable droplets.

GECM-Based Voltage Stability Assessment Using Wide-Area Synchrophasors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heng-Yi Su

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Voltage instability is a crucial issue in the secure operation of power grids. Several methods for voltage stability assessment were presented. Some of them are highly computationally intensive, while others are reported not to work properly under all circumstances. This paper proposes a new methodology based on the generator equivalent circuit model (GECM and the phasor measurement unit (PMU technology for online voltage stability monitoring of a power grid. First, the proposed methodology utilizes synchronized phasor (synchrophasor measurements to determine the impedance parameters of a transmission grid by means of the recursive least squares (RLS algorithm. Furthermore, it incorporates the dynamic models of generators to handle the cases with generator reactive power limit violations. After that, an enhanced voltage stability index with GECMs incorporated is developed for reliable and accurate voltage stability assessment. The proposed methodology was first demonstrated on several standard IEEE power systems, and then applied to a practical power system, the Taiwan power (Taipower system. The test results demonstrate the flexibility and effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

Assessing the industry using Porter's five forces.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

To develop a business and plan for the future, there is a need to assess the current situation. One way of doing this is to use Porter's five forces framework. This was the brainchild of Harvard Business School's Michael Porter and developed in 1979. Looking at the competitive intensity of an industry, the model assesses internal and external factors that act together to determine the direction of the business; taken together, this gives an indication of the attractiveness of the industry.

Effects of lorentz force on flow fields of free burning arc and wall stabilized non-transferred arc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng Yi; Huang Heji; Pan Wenxia

2013-01-01

The flow fields of two typical DC plasma arcs, namely the transferred free burning arc and the non-transferred arc were simulated by solving hydrodynamic equations and electromagnetic equations. The effects of the Lorentz force on the characteristics of the flow fields of these two typical DC plasma arcs were estimated. Results show that in the case of the free burning arc, the Lorentz force due to the current self-induced magnetic field has significant impact on the flow fields, as the self-induced magnetic compression is the main arc constraint mechanism. However, in the case of the non-transferred arc generated in a torch with long and narrow inter-electrode inserts and an abruptly expanded anode, the Lorentz force has limited impact on the flow fields of the plasma especially at the downstream of the inter-electrode inserts, compared with the strong wall constraints and relatively high aerodynamic force. This is because the ratio of the electromagnetic force to the aerodynamic force is only about 0.01 in this region. When the main consideration is outlet parameters of the wall stabilized non-transferred DC arc plasma generator, in order to improve the efficiency of the numerical simulation program, the Lorentz force could be neglected in the non-transferred arc in some cases. (authors)

Assessing Power System Stability Following Load Changes and Considering Uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. V. Ngo

2018-04-01

Full Text Available An increase in load capacity during the operation of a power system usually causes voltage drop and leads to system instability, so it is necessary to monitor the effect of load changes. This article presents a method of assessing the power system stability according to the load node capacity considering uncertainty factors in the system. The proposed approach can be applied to large-scale power systems for voltage stability assessment in real-time.

Incentives and stability of international climate coalitions: An integrated assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bosetti, Valentina; Carraro, Carlo; De Cian, Enrica; Massetti, Emanuele; Tavoni, Massimo

2013-01-01

This paper analyses the incentives to participate in an international climate agreement and the stability of the resulting climate coalition using the integrated assessment model WITCH. Coalition stability is assessed under alternative assumptions concerning the pure rate of time preference, the aggregation of social welfare, and the severity of climate damages. The profitability, stability, and strong potential internal stability of a number of coalitions, those potentially effective in reducing GHG emissions, is explored in the paper. The main conclusion is that only the grand coalition, i.e. a coalition where all world regions cooperate to reduce emissions, can maintain GHG concentration below 550 ppm CO 2 -eq. However, this coalition is not internally stable, even when allowing for monetary transfers across world regions. Nonetheless, the paper also shows that strongly potentially internally stable coalitions exist, though of smaller size, which can mitigate global warming and limit GHG concentrations to 600 ppm CO 2 -eq. - Highlights: ► We analyse climate coalitions with an integrated assessment model. ► Coalitions’ profitability and stability is analysed under alternative assumptions. ► Effective coalitions should include larger emitters (such as India and China). ► A coalition that achieves 550 ppm CO 2 -eq is not internally stable. ► A stable coalition can achieve around 518 ppme in 2050 and 600 ppme in 2100

Applying programmatic risk assessment to nuclear materials stabilization R and D planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kenley, C.R.; Brown-van Hoozer, S.A.

1997-01-01

A systems engineering approach to programmatic risk assessment, derived from the aerospace industry, was applied to various stabilization technologies to assess their relative maturity and availability for use in stabilizing nuclear materials. The assessment provided valuable information for trading off available technologies and identified the at-risk technologies that will require close tracking by the Department of Energy (DOE) to mitigate programmatic risks

Assessing Grasp Stability Based on Learning and Haptic Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bekiroglu, Yasemin; Laaksonen, Janne; Jørgensen, Jimmy Alison

2011-01-01

a probabilistic learning framework to assess grasp stability and demonstrate that knowledge about grasp stability can be inferred using information from tactile sensors. Experiments on both simulated and real data are shown. The results indicate that the idea to exploit the learning approach is applicable...... data and machine-learning methods, including AdaBoost, support vector machines (SVMs), and hidden Markov models (HMMs). In particular, we study the effect of different sensory streams to grasp stability. This includes object information such as shape; grasp information such as approach vector; tactile...

Intraoperative CT in the assessment of posterior wall acetabular fracture stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Cunningham, Brian; Jackson, Kelly; Ortega, Gil

2014-04-01

Posterior wall acetabular fractures that involve 10% to 40% of the posterior wall may or may not require an open reduction and internal fixation. Dynamic stress examination of the acetabular fracture under fluoroscopy has been used as an intraoperative method to assess joint stability. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the value of intraoperative ISO computed tomography (CT) examination using the Siemens ISO-C imaging system (Siemens Corp, Malvern, Pennsylvania) in the assessment of posterior wall acetabular fracture stability during stress examination under anesthesia. In 5 posterior wall acetabular fractures, standard fluoroscopic images (including anteroposterior pelvis and Judet radiographs) with dynamic stress examinations were compared with the ISO-C CT imaging system to assess posterior wall fracture stability during stress examination. After review of standard intraoperative fluoroscopic images under dynamic stress examination, all 5 cases appeared to demonstrate posterior wall stability; however, when the intraoperative images from the ISO-C CT imaging system demonstrated that 1 case showed fracture instability of the posterior wall segment during stress examination, open reduction and internal fixation was performed. The use of intraoperative ISO CT imaging has shown an initial improvement in the surgeon's ability to assess the intraoperative stability of posterior wall acetabular fractures during stress examination when compared with standard fluoroscopic images. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

Impact of Model Detail of Synchronous Machines on Real-time Transient Stability Assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weckesser, Johannes Tilman Gabriel; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Østergaard, Jacob

2013-01-01

In this paper, it is investigated how detailed the model of a synchronous machine needs to be in order to assess transient stability using a Single Machine Equivalent (SIME). The results will show how the stability mechanism and the stability assessment are affected by the model detail. In order...... of the machine models is varied. Analyses of the results suggest that a 4th-order model may be sufficient to represent synchronous machines in transient stability studies....

Ex Vivo Evaluation of Cementless Acetabular Cup Stability Using Impact Analyses with a Hammer Instrumented with Strain Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Tijou, Antoine; Rosi, Giuseppe; Hernigou, Philippe; Flouzat-Lachaniette, Charles-Henri; Haïat, Guillaume

2017-12-27

The acetabular cup (AC) implant stability is determinant for the success of cementless hip arthroplasty. A method based on the analysis of the impact force applied during the press-fit insertion of the AC implant using a hammer instrumented with a force sensor was developed to assess the AC implant stability. The aim of the present study was to investigate the performance of a method using a hammer equipped with strain sensors to retrieve the AC implant stability. Different AC implants were inserted in five bovine samples with different stability conditions leading to 57 configurations. The AC implant was impacted 16 times by the two hammers consecutively. For each impact; an indicator I S (respectively I F ) determined by analyzing the time variation of the signal corresponding to the averaged strain (respectively force) obtained with the stress (respectively strain) hammer was calculated. The pull-out force F was measured for each configuration. F was significantly correlated with I S (R² = 0.79) and I F (R² = 0.80). The present method has the advantage of not modifying the shape of the hammer that can be sterilized easily. This study opens new paths towards the development of a decision support system to assess the AC implant stability.

Analytical Assessment for Transient Stability Under Stochastic Continuous Disturbances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ju, Ping [Hohai Univ., Nanjing (China); Li, Hongyu [Hohai Univ., Nanjing (China); Gan, Chun [The Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Liu, Yong [The Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Yu, Yiping [Hohai Univ., Nanjing (China); Liu, Yilu [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

2017-06-28

Here, with the growing integration of renewable power generation, plug-in electric vehicles, and other sources of uncertainty, increasing stochastic continuous disturbances are brought to power systems. The impact of stochastic continuous disturbances on power system transient stability attracts significant attention. To address this problem, this paper proposes an analytical assessment method for transient stability of multi-machine power systems under stochastic continuous disturbances. In the proposed method, a probability measure of transient stability is presented and analytically solved by stochastic averaging. Compared with the conventional method (Monte Carlo simulation), the proposed method is many orders of magnitude faster, which makes it very attractive in practice when many plans for transient stability must be compared or when transient stability must be analyzed quickly. Also, it is found that the evolution of system energy over time is almost a simple diffusion process by the proposed method, which explains the impact mechanism of stochastic continuous disturbances on transient stability in theory.

Parabolized Stability Equations analysis of nonlinear interactions with forced eigenmodes to control subsonic jet instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itasse, Maxime; Brazier, Jean-Philippe; Léon, Olivier; Casalis, Grégoire

2015-01-01

Nonlinear evolution of disturbances in an axisymmetric, high subsonic, high Reynolds number hot jet with forced eigenmodes is studied using the Parabolized Stability Equations (PSE) approach to understand how modes interact with one another. Both frequency and azimuthal harmonic interactions are analyzed by setting up one or two modes at higher initial amplitudes and various phases. While single mode excitation leads to harmonic growth and jet noise amplification, controlling the evolution of a specific mode has been made possible by forcing two modes (m 1 , n 1 ), (m 2 , n 2 ), such that the difference in azimuth and in frequency matches the desired “target” mode (m 1 − m 2 , n 1 − n 2 ). A careful setup of the initial amplitudes and phases of the forced modes, defined as the “killer” modes, has allowed the minimizing of the initially dominant instability in the near pressure field, as well as its estimated radiated noise with a 15 dB loss. Although an increase of the overall sound pressure has been found in the range of azimuth and frequency analyzed, the present paper reveals the possibility to make the initially dominant instability ineffective acoustically using nonlinear interactions with forced eigenmodes

Parabolized Stability Equations analysis of nonlinear interactions with forced eigenmodes to control subsonic jet instabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Itasse, Maxime, E-mail: Maxime.Itasse@onera.fr; Brazier, Jean-Philippe, E-mail: Jean-Philippe.Brazier@onera.fr; Léon, Olivier, E-mail: Olivier.Leon@onera.fr; Casalis, Grégoire, E-mail: Gregoire.Casalis@onera.fr [Onera - The French Aerospace Lab, F-31055 Toulouse (France)

2015-08-15

Nonlinear evolution of disturbances in an axisymmetric, high subsonic, high Reynolds number hot jet with forced eigenmodes is studied using the Parabolized Stability Equations (PSE) approach to understand how modes interact with one another. Both frequency and azimuthal harmonic interactions are analyzed by setting up one or two modes at higher initial amplitudes and various phases. While single mode excitation leads to harmonic growth and jet noise amplification, controlling the evolution of a specific mode has been made possible by forcing two modes (m{sub 1}, n{sub 1}), (m{sub 2}, n{sub 2}), such that the difference in azimuth and in frequency matches the desired “target” mode (m{sub 1} − m{sub 2}, n{sub 1} − n{sub 2}). A careful setup of the initial amplitudes and phases of the forced modes, defined as the “killer” modes, has allowed the minimizing of the initially dominant instability in the near pressure field, as well as its estimated radiated noise with a 15 dB loss. Although an increase of the overall sound pressure has been found in the range of azimuth and frequency analyzed, the present paper reveals the possibility to make the initially dominant instability ineffective acoustically using nonlinear interactions with forced eigenmodes.

Passivity-Based Stability Assessment of Grid-Connected VSCs - An Overview

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harnefors, Lennart; Wang, Xiongfei; Yepes, Alejandro G.

2016-01-01

The interconnection stability of a grid-connected voltage-source converter (VSC) can be assessed by the passivity properties of the VSC input admittance. If critical grid resonances fall within regions where the input admittance acts passively, i.e., has nonnegative real part, then their destabil......The interconnection stability of a grid-connected voltage-source converter (VSC) can be assessed by the passivity properties of the VSC input admittance. If critical grid resonances fall within regions where the input admittance acts passively, i.e., has nonnegative real part...

SPI Project Criticality Task Force initial review and assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKinley, K.B.; Cannon, J.W.; Marsden, R.S.; Worle, H.A.

1980-03-01

The Slagging Pyrolysis Incinerator (SPI) Facility is being developed to process transuranic waste stored and buried at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) into a chemically inert, physically stable, basalt-like residue acceptable for a Federal Repository. A task force was established by the SPI Project Division to review and assess all aspects of criticality safety for the SPI Facility. This document presents the initial review, evaluations, and recommendations of the task force and includes the following: background information on waste characterization, and criticality control approaches and philosophies, a description of the SPI Facility Waste Processing Building, a review and assessment of potentially relevant codes and regulations; a review and assessment of the present state of criticality and assaying/monitoring studies, and recommendations for changes in and additions to these studies. The review and assessment of potentially relevant codes and regulations indicate that ERDAM 0530, Nuclear Criticality Safety should be the controlling document for criticality safety for the SPI Project. In general, the criticality control approaches and philosophies for the SPI Project comply with this document

Double Trait Assessment Test Battery for Air Force Pilots

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Tarnowski, Adam

1998-01-01

Building on years of theoretical discussions as well as diagnostic experience in the Polish Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine, a battery of psychological tests was proposed for the assessment...

Assessing fly ash treatment: Remediation and stabilization of heavy metals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lima, A.T.; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.; Ribeiro, Alexandra B.

2012-01-01

Fly ashes from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), straw (ST) and co-combustion of wood (CW) are here analyzed with the intent of reusing them. Two techniques are assessed, a remediation technique and a solidification/stabilization one. The removal of heavy metals from fly ashes through the electrodialy......Fly ashes from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), straw (ST) and co-combustion of wood (CW) are here analyzed with the intent of reusing them. Two techniques are assessed, a remediation technique and a solidification/stabilization one. The removal of heavy metals from fly ashes through...

Stability of Beriplast P fibrin sealant: storage and reconstitution.

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Applying programmatic risk assessment to nuclear materials stabilization R and D planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown-Van Hoozer, S.A.; Kenley, C.R.

1997-01-01

A systems engineering approach to programmatic risk assessment, derived from the aerospace industry, was applied to various stabilization technologies to assess their relative maturity and availability for use in stabilizing nuclear materials. The assessment provided valuable information for trading off available technologies and identified the at-risk technologies that will require close tracking by the Department of Energy (DOE) to mitigate programmatic risks. This paper presents the programmatic risk assessment methodology developed for the 1995 R and D Plan and updated for the 1996 R and D Plan. Results of the 1996 assessment also are presented (DOE/ID-10561, 1996)

GECM-Based Voltage Stability Assessment Using Wide-Area Synchrophasors

OpenAIRE

Heng-Yi Su; Tzu-Yi Liu

2017-01-01

Voltage instability is a crucial issue in the secure operation of power grids. Several methods for voltage stability assessment were presented. Some of them are highly computationally intensive, while others are reported not to work properly under all circumstances. This paper proposes a new methodology based on the generator equivalent circuit model (GECM) and the phasor measurement unit (PMU) technology for online voltage stability monitoring of a power grid. First, the proposed methodology...

A theoretical analysis of pitch stability during gliding in flying snakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Jafari, Farid; Ross, Shane D; Vlachos, Pavlos P; Socha, John J

2014-06-01

Flying snakes use their entire body as a continuously morphing 'wing' to produce lift and shallow their glide trajectory. Their dominant behavior during gliding is aerial undulation, in which lateral waves are sent posteriorly down the body. This highly dynamic behavior, which is unique among animal gliders, should have substantial effects on the flight dynamics and stability of the snakes, resulting from the continuous redistribution of mass and aerodynamic forces. In this study, we develop two-dimensional theoretical models to assess the stability characteristics of snakes in the pitch direction. Previously measured force coefficients are used to simulate aerodynamic forces acting on the models, and undulation is simulated by varying mass. Model 1 is a simple three-airfoil representation of the snake's body that possesses a passively stable equilibrium solution, whose basin of stability contains initial conditions observed in experimental gliding trajectories. Model 2 is more sophisticated, with more degrees of freedom allowing for postural changes to better represent the snake's real kinematics; in addition, a restoring moment is added to simulate potential active control. The application of static and dynamic stability criteria show that Model 2 is passively unstable, but can be stabilized with a restoring moment. Overall, these models suggest that undulation does not contribute to stability in pitch, and that flying snakes require a closed-loop control system formed around a passively stable dynamical framework.

Electromechanical impedance method to assess dental implant stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tabrizi, Aydin; Rizzo, Piervincenzo; Ochs, Mark W

2012-01-01

The stability of a dental implant is a prerequisite for supporting a load-bearing prosthesis and establishment of a functional bone–implant system. Reliable and noninvasive methods able to assess the bone interface of dental and orthopedic implants (osseointegration) are increasingly demanded for clinical diagnosis and direct prognosis. In this paper, we propose the electromechanical impedance method as a novel approach for the assessment of dental implant stability. Nobel Biocare ® implants with a size of 4.3 mm diameter ×13 mm length were placed inside bovine bones that were then immersed in a solution of nitric acid to allow material degradation. The degradation simulated the inverse process of bone healing. The implant–bone systems were monitored by bonding a piezoceramic transducer (PZT) to the implants’ abutment and measuring the admittance of the PZT over time. It was found that the PZT’s admittance and the statistical features associated with its analysis are sensitive to the degradation of the bones and can be correlated to the loss of calcium measured by means of the atomic absorption spectroscopy method. The present study shows promising results and may pave the road towards an innovative approach for the noninvasive monitoring of dental implant stability and integrity. (paper)

Vehicle lateral dynamics stabilization using active suspension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Drobný V.

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the investigation of active nonlinear suspension control in order to stabilize the lateral vehicle motion in similar way as systems like ESP do. The lateral stabilization of vehicle based on braking forces can be alternatively provided by the different setting of suspension forces. The basis of this control is the nonlinear property of the tyres. The vehicle has at least four wheels and it gives one or more redundant vertical forces that can be used for the different distribution of vertical suspension forces in such a way that resulting lateral and/or longitudinal forces create the required correction moment for lateral dynamic vehicle stabilization.

Influence of Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization Approach on Maximum Kayak Paddling Force

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davidek Pavel

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS exercise on maximum paddling force (PF and self-reported pain perception in the shoulder girdle area in flatwater kayakers. Twenty male flatwater kayakers from a local club (age = 21.9 ± 2.4 years, body height = 185.1 ± 7.9 cm, body mass = 83.9 ± 9.1 kg were randomly assigned to the intervention or control groups. During the 6-week study, subjects from both groups performed standard off-season training. Additionally, the intervention group engaged in a DNS-based core stabilization exercise program (quadruped exercise, side sitting exercise, sitting exercise and squat exercise after each standard training session. Using a kayak ergometer, the maximum PF stroke was measured four times during the six weeks. All subjects completed the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH questionnaire before and after the 6-week interval to evaluate subjective pain perception in the shoulder girdle area. Initially, no significant differences in maximum PF and the DASH questionnaire were identified between the two groups. Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that the experimental group improved significantly compared to the control group on maximum PF (p = .004; Cohen’s d = .85, but not on the DASH questionnaire score (p = .731 during the study. Integration of DNS with traditional flatwater kayak training may significantly increase maximum PF, but may not affect pain perception to the same extent.

Effects of electric field and Coriolis force on electrohydrodynamic stability of poorly conducting couple stress parallel fluid flow in a channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shankar, B.M.; Rudraiah, N.

2013-01-01

The linear stability of electrohydrodynamic poorly conducting couple stress viscous parallel fluid flow in a channel is studied in the presence of a non-uniform transverse electric field and Coriolis force using energy method and supplemented with Galerkin Technique. The sufficient condition for stability is obtained for sufficiently small values of the Reynolds number, R e . From this condition we show that strengthening or weakening of the stability criterion is dictated by the values of the strength of electric field, the coefficient of couple stress fluid and independent of Taylor number. In particular, it is shown that the interaction of electric field with couple stress is more effective in stabilizing the poorly conducting couple stress fluid compared to that in an ordinary Newtonian viscous fluid. (author)

Boundary layer stability on a yawed spinning body of revolution and its effect on the magnus force and moment

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobson, I. D.; Morton, J. B.

1972-01-01

The parameters are established which are important to the stability of a boundary layer flow over a yawed spinning cylinder in a uniform stream. It is shown that transition occurs asymmetrically in general and this asymmetry can be important for the prediction of aerodynamic forces and moments (e.g., the Magnus effect). Instability of the steady-state boundary layer flow is determined using small disturbance theory. Although the approach is strictly valid only for the calculation of the conditions for stability in the small, experimental data indicate that in many problems, it provides a good estimate for the transition to turbulence.

Assessment and mapping of slope stability based on slope units: A ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Shallow landslide; infinite slope stability equation; return period precipitation; assessment; slope unit. ... 2010), logistic regression ... model to assess the hazard of shallow landslides ..... grating a fuzzy k-means classification and a Bayesian.

Study on heavy duty truck stability control by braking force control; Seidoryoku seigyo ni yoru truck no sharyo kyodo anteika ni taisuru ichikosatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsuda, K; Shinjo, H; Harada, M; Ohata, K; Sakata, K [Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-10-01

Now a days we are discussing about the vehicle stability control system which freely controls the braking force of each wheel to apply the yaw t and decelerate the vehicle. The system drastically improve the vehicle cornering performance and stabilize the vehicle behavior in its critical area. This paper discusses a point to notice in case of applying this technique for heavy duty trucks, and describes the possibility of the stabilization for vehicle cornering behavior about heavy duty truck. 3 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.

Assessing fire impacts on the carbon stability of fire-tolerant forests.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Lauren T; Bruce, Matthew J; Machunter, Josephine; Kohout, Michele; Krishnaraj, Saravanan Jangammanaidu; Aponte, Cristina

2017-12-01

The carbon stability of fire-tolerant forests is often assumed but less frequently assessed, limiting the potential to anticipate threats to forest carbon posed by predicted increases in forest fire activity. Assessing the carbon stability of fire-tolerant forests requires multi-indicator approaches that recognize the myriad ways that fires influence the carbon balance, including combustion, deposition of pyrogenic material, and tree death, post-fire decomposition, recruitment, and growth. Five years after a large-scale wildfire in southeastern Australia, we assessed the impacts of low- and high-severity wildfire, with and without prescribed fire (≤10 yr before), on carbon stocks in multiple pools, and on carbon stability indicators (carbon stock percentages in live trees and in small trees, and carbon stocks in char and fuels) in fire-tolerant eucalypt forests. Relative to unburned forest, high-severity wildfire decreased short-term (five-year) carbon stability by significantly decreasing live tree carbon stocks and percentage stocks in live standing trees (reflecting elevated tree mortality), by increasing the percentage of live tree carbon in small trees (those vulnerable to the next fire), and by potentially increasing the probability of another fire through increased elevated fine fuel loads. In contrast, low-severity wildfire enhanced carbon stability by having negligible effects on aboveground stocks and indicators, and by significantly increasing carbon stocks in char and, in particular, soils, indicating pyrogenic carbon accumulation. Overall, recent preceding prescribed fire did not markedly influence wildfire effects on short-term carbon stability at stand scales. Despite wide confidence intervals around mean stock differences, indicating uncertainty about the magnitude of fire effects in these natural forests, our assessment highlights the need for active management of carbon assets in fire-tolerant eucalypt forests under contemporary fire regimes

Stabilizing the long-time behavior of the forced Navier-Stokes and damped Euler systems by large mean flow

Science.gov (United States)

Cyranka, Jacek; Mucha, Piotr B.; Titi, Edriss S.; Zgliczyński, Piotr

2018-04-01

The paper studies the issue of stability of solutions to the forced Navier-Stokes and damped Euler systems in periodic boxes. It is shown that for large, but fixed, Grashoff (Reynolds) number the turbulent behavior of all Leray-Hopf weak solutions of the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations, in periodic box, is suppressed, when viewed in the right frame of reference, by large enough average flow of the initial data; a phenomenon that is similar in spirit to the Landau damping. Specifically, we consider an initial data which have large enough spatial average, then by means of the Galilean transformation, and thanks to the periodic boundary conditions, the large time independent forcing term changes into a highly oscillatory force; which then allows us to employ some averaging principles to establish our result. Moreover, we also show that under the action of fast oscillatory-in-time external forces all two-dimensional regular solutions of the Navier-Stokes and the damped Euler equations converge to a unique time-periodic solution.

Quantitative assessment of contact and non-contact lateral force calibration methods for atomic force microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tran Khac, Bien Cuong; Chung, Koo-Hyun, E-mail: khchung@ulsan.ac.kr

2016-02-15

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has been widely used for measuring friction force at the nano-scale. However, one of the key challenges faced by AFM researchers is to calibrate an AFM system to interpret a lateral force signal as a quantifiable force. In this study, five rectangular cantilevers were used to quantitatively compare three different lateral force calibration methods to demonstrate the legitimacy and to establish confidence in the quantitative integrity of the proposed methods. The Flat-Wedge method is based on a variation of the lateral output on a surface with flat and changing slopes, the Multi-Load Pivot method is based on taking pivot measurements at several locations along the cantilever length, and the Lateral AFM Thermal-Sader method is based on determining the optical lever sensitivity from the thermal noise spectrum of the first torsional mode with a known torsional spring constant from the Sader method. The results of the calibration using the Flat-Wedge and Multi-Load Pivot methods were found to be consistent within experimental uncertainties, and the experimental uncertainties of the two methods were found to be less than 15%. However, the lateral force sensitivity determined by the Lateral AFM Thermal-Sader method was found to be 8–29% smaller than those obtained from the other two methods. This discrepancy decreased to 3–19% when the torsional mode correction factor for an ideal cantilever was used, which suggests that the torsional mode correction should be taken into account to establish confidence in Lateral AFM Thermal-Sader method. - Highlights: • Quantitative assessment of three lateral force calibration methods for AFM. • Advantages and disadvantages of three different lateral force calibration method. • Implementation of Multi-Load Pivot method as non-contact calibration technique. • The torsional mode correction for Lateral AFM Thermal-Sader method.

Quantitative assessment of contact and non-contact lateral force calibration methods for atomic force microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran Khac, Bien Cuong; Chung, Koo-Hyun

2016-01-01

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has been widely used for measuring friction force at the nano-scale. However, one of the key challenges faced by AFM researchers is to calibrate an AFM system to interpret a lateral force signal as a quantifiable force. In this study, five rectangular cantilevers were used to quantitatively compare three different lateral force calibration methods to demonstrate the legitimacy and to establish confidence in the quantitative integrity of the proposed methods. The Flat-Wedge method is based on a variation of the lateral output on a surface with flat and changing slopes, the Multi-Load Pivot method is based on taking pivot measurements at several locations along the cantilever length, and the Lateral AFM Thermal-Sader method is based on determining the optical lever sensitivity from the thermal noise spectrum of the first torsional mode with a known torsional spring constant from the Sader method. The results of the calibration using the Flat-Wedge and Multi-Load Pivot methods were found to be consistent within experimental uncertainties, and the experimental uncertainties of the two methods were found to be less than 15%. However, the lateral force sensitivity determined by the Lateral AFM Thermal-Sader method was found to be 8–29% smaller than those obtained from the other two methods. This discrepancy decreased to 3–19% when the torsional mode correction factor for an ideal cantilever was used, which suggests that the torsional mode correction should be taken into account to establish confidence in Lateral AFM Thermal-Sader method. - Highlights: • Quantitative assessment of three lateral force calibration methods for AFM. • Advantages and disadvantages of three different lateral force calibration method. • Implementation of Multi-Load Pivot method as non-contact calibration technique. • The torsional mode correction for Lateral AFM Thermal-Sader method.

Modeling and Stability Assessment of Single-Phase Grid Synchronization Techniques

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Golestan, Saeed; Guerrero, Josep M.; Vasquez, Juan

2018-01-01

(GSTs) is of vital importance. This task is most often based on obtaining a linear time-invariant (LTI) model for the GST and applying standard stability tests to it. Another option is modeling and dynamics/stability assessment of GSTs in the linear time-periodic (LTP) framework, which has received...... a very little attention. In this letter, the procedure of deriving the LTP model for single-phase GSTs is first demonstrated. The accuracy of the LTP model in predicting the GST dynamic behavior and stability is then evaluated and compared with that of the LTI one. Two well-known single-phase GSTs, i...

Rotary and radial forcing effects on center-of-mass locomotion dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Z H; Larson, P L; Seipel, J E

2014-09-01

Rotary and radial forcing are two common actuation methods for legged robots. However, these two orthogonal methods of center-of-mass (CoM) forcing have not been compared as potentially alternative strategies of actuation. In this paper, we compare the CoM stability and energetics of running with rotary and radial actuation through the simulation of two models: the rotary-forced spring-loaded inverted pendulum (rotary-forced-SLIP), and the radially-forced-SLIP. We model both radial and rotary actuation in the simplest way, applying them as a constant force during the stance portion of the gait. A simple application of constant rotary forcing throughout stance is capable of producing fully-asymptotically stable motion; however, a similarly constant application of radial forcing throughout the stance is not capable of producing stable solutions. We then allow both the applied rotary and radial forcing functions to turn on or off based on the occurrence of the mid-stance event, which breaks the symmetry of actuation during stance towards a net forward propulsion. We find that both a rotary force applied in the first half of stance and a radial force applied in the second half of stance, are capable of stabilizing running. Interestingly, these two forcing methods improve the motion stability in different ways. Rotary forcing first reduces then greatly increases the size of the stable parameter region when gradually increased. Radial forcing expands the stable parameter region, but only in a moderate way. Also, it is found that parameter region stabilized by rotary and radial forcing are largely complementary. Overall, rotary forcing can better stabilize running for both constant and event-based forcing functions that were attempted. This indicates that rotary forcing has an inherent capability of stabilizing running, even when minimal time-or-event-or-state feedback is present. Radial forcing, however, tends to be more energy efficient when compared to rotary forcing

An Assessment of Economic Stability under the New European Economic Governance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gheorghe HURDUZEU

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The economic crisis, followed by the sovereign debt crisis, resulted in high unemployment, unsustainable public finances and deepening disparities between Euro Area member states, and underlined the necessity of strengthening economic coordination. In order to lessen the effects of the crises, to prevent further deepening of the economic context and the appearance of new similar situations, the European framework was improved by the provisions of the new economic governance. The aim of this paper is to assess the effects regarding macroeconomic stability within Euro Area member states, achieved under the new economic governance framework. In this respect, the first part of the paper consists in an overview of the provisions imposed through the European Semester, the reformed Stability and Growth Pact and the other elements of the new European governance. In order to assess the achievement of economic stability we analyzed data for Southern Euro Area member states, during 2009-2013, as this group of countries registered most issues during 2013. We took into consideration five important indicators, essential in any economy that form the macroeconomic stability pentagon: economic growth rate, unemployment rate, inflation rate, budgetary balance and current account balance. By comparing the area obtained through the macroeconomic stability pentagon, we conclude on meeting one of the main objectives of the new European governance: economic stability.

A theoretical analysis of pitch stability during gliding in flying snakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jafari, Farid; Ross, Shane D; Socha, John J; Vlachos, Pavlos P

2014-01-01

Flying snakes use their entire body as a continuously morphing ‘wing’ to produce lift and shallow their glide trajectory. Their dominant behavior during gliding is aerial undulation, in which lateral waves are sent posteriorly down the body. This highly dynamic behavior, which is unique among animal gliders, should have substantial effects on the flight dynamics and stability of the snakes, resulting from the continuous redistribution of mass and aerodynamic forces. In this study, we develop two-dimensional theoretical models to assess the stability characteristics of snakes in the pitch direction. Previously measured force coefficients are used to simulate aerodynamic forces acting on the models, and undulation is simulated by varying mass. Model 1 is a simple three-airfoil representation of the snake’s body that possesses a passively stable equilibrium solution, whose basin of stability contains initial conditions observed in experimental gliding trajectories. Model 2 is more sophisticated, with more degrees of freedom allowing for postural changes to better represent the snake’s real kinematics; in addition, a restoring moment is added to simulate potential active control. The application of static and dynamic stability criteria show that Model 2 is passively unstable, but can be stabilized with a restoring moment. Overall, these models suggest that undulation does not contribute to stability in pitch, and that flying snakes require a closed-loop control system formed around a passively stable dynamical framework. (papers)

Assessment of stability during gait in patients with spinal deformity-A preliminary analysis using the dynamic stability margin.

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, Anne-Laure; Lugade, Vipul; Bernhardt, Kathie; Larson, A Noelle; Kaufman, Kenton

2017-06-01

Daily living activities are dynamic, requiring spinal motion through space. Current assessment of spinal deformities is based on static measurements from full-spine standing radiographs. Tools to assess dynamic stability during gait might be useful to enhance the standard evaluation. The aim of this study was to evaluate gait dynamic imbalance in patients with spinal deformity using the dynamic stability margin (DSM). Twelve normal subjects and 17 patients with spinal deformity were prospectively recruited. A kinematic 3D gait analysis was performed for the control group (CG) and the spinal deformity group (SDG). The DSM (distance between the extrapolated center of mass and the base of support) and time-distance parameters were calculated for the right and left side during gait. The relationship between DSM and step length was assessed using three variables: gait stability, symmetry, and consistency. Variables' accuracy was validated by a discriminant analysis. Patients with spinal deformity exhibited gait instability according to the DSM (0.25m versus 0.31m) with decreased velocity (1.1ms -1 versus 1.3ms -1 ) and decreased step length (0.32m versus 0.38m). According to the discriminant analysis, gait stability was the more accurate variable (area under the curve AUC=0.98) followed by gait symmetry and consistency. However, gait consistency showed 100% of specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy of precision. The DSM showed that patients with spinal malalignment exhibit decreased gait stability, symmetry, and consistency besides gait time-distance parameter changes. Additional work is required to determine how to apply the DSM for preoperative and postoperative spinal deformity management. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The force-sensing device region of α-catenin is an intrinsically disordered segment in the absence of intramolecular stabilization of the autoinhibitory form.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirano, Yoshinori; Amano, Yu; Yonemura, Shigenobu; Hakoshima, Toshio

2018-05-01

Mechanotransduction by α-catenin facilitates the force-dependent development of adherens junctions (AJs) by recruiting vinculin to reinforce actin anchoring of AJs. The α-catenin mechanotransducing action is facilitated by its force-sensing device region that autoinhibits the vinculin-binding site 1 (VBS1). Here, we report the high-resolution structure of the force-sensing device region of α-catenin, which shows the autoinhibited form comprised of helix bundles E, F and G. The cryptic VBS1 is embedded into helix bundle E stabilized by direct interactions with the autoinhibitory region forming helix bundles F and G. Our molecular dissection study showed that helix bundles F and G are stable in solution in each isolated form, whereas helix bundle E that contains VBS1 is unstable and intrinsically disordered in solution in the isolated form. We successfully identified key residues mediating the autoinhibition and produced mutated α-catenins that display variable force sensitivity and autoinhibition. Using these mutants, we demonstrate both in vitro and in vivo that, in the absence of this stabilization, the helix bundle containing VBS1 would adopt an unfolded form, thus exposing VBS for vinculin binding. We provide evidence for importance of mechanotransduction with the intrinsic force sensitivity for vinculin recruitment to adherens junctions of epithelial cell sheets with mutated α-catenins. © 2018 Molecular Biology Society of Japan and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

An Artificial Intelligence Approach to Transient Stability Assessment

OpenAIRE

Akella, Vijay Ahaskar; Khincha, HP; Kumar, Sreerama R

1991-01-01

An artificial intelligence approach to online transient stability assessment is briefly discussed, and some crucial requirements for this algorithm are identified. Solutions to these are proposed. Some new attributes are suggested so as to reflect machine dynamics and changes in the network. Also a new representative learning set algorithm has been developed.

Synchrophasor-Based Online Coherency Identification in Voltage Stability Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ADEWOLE, A. C.

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents and investigates a new measurement-based approach in the identification of coherent groups in load buses and synchronous generators for voltage stability assessment application in large interconnected power systems. A hybrid Calinski-Harabasz criterion and k-means clustering algorithm is developed for the determination of the cluster groups in the system. The proposed method is successfully validated by using the New England 39-bus test system. Also, the performance of the voltage stability assessment algorithm using wide area synchrophasor measurements from the key synchronous generator in each respective cluster was tested online for the prediction of the system's margin to voltage collapse using a testbed comprising of a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC in a hardware-in-the-loop configuration with the Real-Time Digital Simulator (RTDS and Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs.

Local Dynamic Stability Assessment of Motion Impaired Elderly Using Electronic Textile Pants.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jian; Lockhart, Thurmon E; Jones, Mark; Martin, Tom

2008-10-01

A clear association has been demonstrated between gait stability and falls in the elderly. Integration of wearable computing and human dynamic stability measures into home automation systems may help differentiate fall-prone individuals in a residential environment. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the capability of a pair of electronic textile (e-textile) pants system to assess local dynamic stability and to differentiate motion-impaired elderly from their healthy counterparts. A pair of e-textile pants comprised of numerous e-TAGs at locations corresponding to lower extremity joints was developed to collect acceleration, angular velocity and piezoelectric data. Four motion-impaired elderly together with nine healthy individuals (both young and old) participated in treadmill walking with a motion capture system simultaneously collecting kinematic data. Local dynamic stability, characterized by maximum Lyapunov exponent, was computed based on vertical acceleration and angular velocity at lower extremity joints for the measurements from both e-textile and motion capture systems. Results indicated that the motion-impaired elderly had significantly higher maximum Lyapunov exponents (computed from vertical acceleration data) than healthy individuals at the right ankle and hip joints. In addition, maximum Lyapunov exponents assessed by the motion capture system were found to be significantly higher than those assessed by the e-textile system. Despite the difference between these measurement techniques, attaching accelerometers at the ankle and hip joints was shown to be an effective sensor configuration. It was concluded that the e-textile pants system, via dynamic stability assessment, has the potential to identify motion-impaired elderly.

System of gait analysis based on ground reaction force assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

František Vaverka

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Biomechanical analysis of gait employs various methods used in kinematic and kinetic analysis, EMG, and others. One of the most frequently used methods is kinetic analysis based on the assessment of the ground reaction forces (GRF recorded on two force plates. Objective: The aim of the study was to present a method of gait analysis based on the assessment of the GRF recorded during the stance phase of two steps. Methods: The GRF recorded with a force plate on one leg during stance phase has three components acting in directions: Fx - mediolateral, Fy - anteroposterior, and Fz - vertical. A custom-written MATLAB script was used for gait analysis in this study. This software displays instantaneous force data for both legs as Fx(t, Fy(t and Fz(t curves, automatically determines the extremes of functions and sets the visual markers defining the individual points of interest. Positions of these markers can be easily adjusted by the rater, which may be necessary if the GRF has an atypical pattern. The analysis is fully automated and analyzing one trial takes only 1-2 minutes. Results: The method allows quantification of temporal variables of the extremes of the Fx(t, Fy(t, Fz(t functions, durations of the braking and propulsive phase, duration of the double support phase, the magnitudes of reaction forces in extremes of measured functions, impulses of force, and indices of symmetry. The analysis results in a standardized set of 78 variables (temporal, force, indices of symmetry which can serve as a basis for further research and diagnostics. Conclusions: The resulting set of variable offers a wide choice for selecting a specific group of variables with consideration to a particular research topic. The advantage of this method is the standardization of the GRF analysis, low time requirements allowing rapid analysis of a large number of trials in a short time, and comparability of the variables obtained during different research measurements.

Kinematic measures for assessing gait stability in elderly individuals: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamacher, D; Singh, N B; Van Dieën, J H; Heller, M O; Taylor, W R

2011-12-07

Falls not only present a considerable health threat, but the resulting treatment and loss of working days also place a heavy economic burden on society. Gait instability is a major fall risk factor, particularly in geriatric patients, and walking is one of the most frequent dynamic activities of daily living. To allow preventive strategies to become effective, it is therefore imperative to identify individuals with an unstable gait. Assessment of dynamic stability and gait variability via biomechanical measures of foot kinematics provides a viable option for quantitative evaluation of gait stability, but the ability of these methods to predict falls has generally not been assessed. Although various methods for assessing gait stability exist, their sensitivity and applicability in a clinical setting, as well as their cost-effectiveness, need verification. The objective of this systematic review was therefore to evaluate the sensitivity of biomechanical measures that quantify gait stability among elderly individuals and to evaluate the cost of measurement instrumentation required for application in a clinical setting. To assess gait stability, a comparative effect size (Cohen's d) analysis of variability and dynamic stability of foot trajectories during level walking was performed on 29 of an initial yield of 9889 articles from four electronic databases. The results of this survey demonstrate that linear variability of temporal measures of swing and stance was most capable of distinguishing between fallers and non-fallers, whereas step width and stride velocity prove more capable of discriminating between old versus young (OY) adults. In addition, while orbital stability measures (Floquet multipliers) applied to gait have been shown to distinguish between both elderly fallers and non-fallers as well as between young and old adults, local stability measures (λs) have been able to distinguish between young and old adults. Both linear and nonlinear measures of foot

What are the barriers to trying to reach, and evaluate the impact of working with, Forces Families? Assessing the effectiveness of Reading Force, a programme to promote shared reading within the Forces community

OpenAIRE

Baverstock, Alison

2016-01-01

What are the barriers to trying to reach, and evaluate the impact of working with, Forces Families? Assessing the effectiveness of Reading Force, a programme to promote shared reading within the Forces community

ASSESSMENT OF TECHNETIUM LEACHABILITY IN CEMENT STABILIZED BASIN 43 GROUNDWATER BRINE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

COOKE GA; DUNCAN JB; LOCKREM LL

2008-01-01

This report is an initial report on the laboratory effort executed under RPP-PLAN-33338, Test Plan for the Assessment of Technetium Leachability in Cement-Stabilized Basin 43 Groundwater Brine. This report delineates preliminary data obtained under subcontract 21065, release 30, from the RJ Lee Group, Inc., Center for Laboratory Sciences. The report is predicated on CLS RPT-816, Draft Report: Assessment of Technetium Leachability in Cement Stabilized Basin 43 Groundwater Brine. This document will be revised on receipt of the final RJ Lee Group, Inc., Center for Laboratory Sciences report, which will contain data subjected to quality control and quality assurance criteria

Stability Assessment as a Criterion of Stabilization of the Movement Trajectory of Mobile Crane Working Elements

Science.gov (United States)

Kacalak, W.; Budniak, Z.; Majewski, M.

2018-02-01

The article presents a stability assessment method of the mobile crane handling system based on the safety indicator values that were accepted as the trajectory optimization criterion. With the use of the mathematical model built and the model built in the integrated CAD/CAE environment, analyses were conducted of the displacements of the mass centre of the crane system, reactions of the outrigger system, stabilizing and overturning torques that act on the crane as well as the safety indicator values for the given movement trajectories of the crane working elements.

Rotary and radial forcing effects on center-of-mass locomotion dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Z H; Larson, P L; Seipel, J E

2014-01-01

Rotary and radial forcing are two common actuation methods for legged robots. However, these two orthogonal methods of center-of-mass (CoM) forcing have not been compared as potentially alternative strategies of actuation. In this paper, we compare the CoM stability and energetics of running with rotary and radial actuation through the simulation of two models: the rotary-forced spring-loaded inverted pendulum (rotary-forced-SLIP), and the radially-forced-SLIP. We model both radial and rotary actuation in the simplest way, applying them as a constant force during the stance portion of the gait. A simple application of constant rotary forcing throughout stance is capable of producing fully-asymptotically stable motion; however, a similarly constant application of radial forcing throughout the stance is not capable of producing stable solutions. We then allow both the applied rotary and radial forcing functions to turn on or off based on the occurrence of the mid-stance event, which breaks the symmetry of actuation during stance towards a net forward propulsion. We find that both a rotary force applied in the first half of stance and a radial force applied in the second half of stance, are capable of stabilizing running. Interestingly, these two forcing methods improve the motion stability in different ways. Rotary forcing first reduces then greatly increases the size of the stable parameter region when gradually increased. Radial forcing expands the stable parameter region, but only in a moderate way. Also, it is found that parameter region stabilized by rotary and radial forcing are largely complementary. Overall, rotary forcing can better stabilize running for both constant and event-based forcing functions that were attempted. This indicates that rotary forcing has an inherent capability of stabilizing running, even when minimal time-or-event-or-state feedback is present. Radial forcing, however, tends to be more energy efficient when compared to rotary forcing

Environmental Assessment for the General Plan and Maintenance of Patrick Air Force Base, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

2005-05-01

considered viable. P A F B G e n e r a l P l a n E A 2 Environmental Effects The General Plan EA evaluated the environmental impacts of...year cycle. The potential environmental effects were assessed for the following environmental resource areas: air quality, water quality, geology...ADP Area Development Plan AF Air Force AFB Air Force Base AFETR Air Force Eastern Test Range AFI Air Force Instruction AFMAN Air Force Manual

Stabilization of car-caravan combination using independent steer and drive/or brake forces distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ossama Mokhiamar

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Once a combined vehicle becomes unstable, it is very difficult for a driver to stabilize it especially under severe driving conditions, such as turning with braking. This is mainly due to the effect of the towed vehicle on the towing vehicle through the hitch jackknifing. This effect makes the handling characteristics of a car-caravan combination different from those of a single vehicle. Therefore, this paper proposes a control design concept for an optimum distribution of longitudinal and lateral forces of the four tires of a towing vehicle. The mean objectives of the control system were to stabilize the motion of an articulated vehicle utilizing the tires entire ability in both longitudinal and lateral directions as well as to make the handling characteristics of an articulated vehicle similar to those of a single one. The sliding control law based on vehicle planar equations of motion is used to derive the control laws. The proposed control system is evaluated under severe driving conditions and compared with the results of integrated control systems. The robustness of the articulated vehicle motion with the proposed control against the coefficient of friction variation is discussed.

Building machine learning force fields for nanoclusters

Science.gov (United States)

Zeni, Claudio; Rossi, Kevin; Glielmo, Aldo; Fekete, Ádám; Gaston, Nicola; Baletto, Francesca; De Vita, Alessandro

2018-06-01

We assess Gaussian process (GP) regression as a technique to model interatomic forces in metal nanoclusters by analyzing the performance of 2-body, 3-body, and many-body kernel functions on a set of 19-atom Ni cluster structures. We find that 2-body GP kernels fail to provide faithful force estimates, despite succeeding in bulk Ni systems. However, both 3- and many-body kernels predict forces within an ˜0.1 eV/Å average error even for small training datasets and achieve high accuracy even on out-of-sample, high temperature structures. While training and testing on the same structure always provide satisfactory accuracy, cross-testing on dissimilar structures leads to higher prediction errors, posing an extrapolation problem. This can be cured using heterogeneous training on databases that contain more than one structure, which results in a good trade-off between versatility and overall accuracy. Starting from a 3-body kernel trained this way, we build an efficient non-parametric 3-body force field that allows accurate prediction of structural properties at finite temperatures, following a newly developed scheme [A. Glielmo et al., Phys. Rev. B 95, 214302 (2017)]. We use this to assess the thermal stability of Ni19 nanoclusters at a fractional cost of full ab initio calculations.

A geometric criterion for the stability of forced oscillations in non-linear mechanics (1961); Un critere geometrique de stabilite des oscillations forcees en mecanique non lineaire (1961)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blaquiere, A [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1961-07-01

The author completes the two-parameter diagram theory which he has previously explained, by giving a geometric criterion of stability for a non-linear system under forced conditions. After two simple geometric transformations of the diagram he obtains the separators which are the boundary conditions for the zones of stability. (author) [French] L'auteur complete la theorie du diagramme a deux parametres, qu'il a anterieurement exposee, par l'enonce d'un critere geometrique de stabilite, relatif aux regimes forces d'un systeme non lineaire. Il obtient, par deux transformations geometriques simples du diagramme, les separatrices qui delimitent les zones de stabilite. (auteur)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Graphical assessment of yield stability and adaptation in cowpeas ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Graphical assessment of yield stability and adaptation in cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp). DK Ojo, MS Oduola, OA Oduwaye. Abstract. No Abstract. Nigerian Journal of Genetics Vol. 20 2006: pp. 17-25. Full Text: EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT.

Assessing Romanian financial sector stability: the importance of the international economic climate

OpenAIRE

Albulescu, Claudiu Tiberiu

2008-01-01

The aim of this paper is to develop an aggregate stability index for the Romanian financial system. The index which is meant to enhance the set of analysis used by the central bank to assess the financial stability accurately reflects the financial stability dynamics and the periods with financial turbulences during 1997-2007 in Romania. By the application of a technique which enables the measurement of the components’ contribution to the aggregate index volatility, we show that some individu...

Effect of Semi-Rigid and Soft Ankle Braces on Static and Dynamic Postural Stability in Young Male Adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noriaki Maeda, Yukio Urabe, Shogo Tsutsumi, Shuhei Numano, Miho Morita, Takuya Takeuchi, Shou Iwata, Toshiki Kobayashi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Ankle braces have been suggested to protect ankle joints from a sprain by restricting inversion and improving proprioception. However, the difference in effects between a semi-rigid brace and a soft brace regarding dynamic postural control after landing is not known. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of soft (SB and semi-rigid (SRB ankle braces on static and dynamic postural stability in healthy young men. Altogether, 21 male adults (mean age 24.0 ± 1.5 years were assessed for one leg while wearing non-brace (NB, SB or SRB. Balance in single-limb stance on a single-force platform with open eyes and closed eyes were assessed for the non-dominant leg under SB, SRB, and NB conditions. Locus length/second (mm/s and the enveloped area (mm·s-2 surrounded by the circumference of the wave pattern during postural sway were calculated. For assessing dynamic postural stability, the participant jumped and landed on one leg on a force platform, and the Dynamic Postural Stability Index (DPSI and the maximum vertical ground reaction force (vGRFmax were measured. The data were compared among the three conditions with repeated-measures analysis of variance. The correlations between locus length/second, enveloped area, DPSI values (DPSI, Anterior-Posterior Stability Index, Medial-Lateral Stability Index, and Vertical Stability Index, and vGRFmax were then calculated. The results indicated that locus length/second and enveloped area with open eyes and closed eyes were not significantly different for each condition. However, a significant lower in the DPSI and Vertical Stability Index were observed with the SRB in comparison to the SB and NB. A significant improvement in vGRFmax was also observed with the SRB in comparison to NB. SRB demonstrated a positive effect on dynamic postural stability after landing on a single leg and may improve balance by increasing dynamic postural stability.

Macroscopic plasma properties and stability theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakanaka, P.H.

1981-01-01

1. Two-fluid equations: (a) Boltzmann equation: complete set of equations; collision models - Vlasov, BGK, Fokker-Planck-Landau, Boltzmann. (b) Moments of the Boltzmann equation: problem of closure. (c) Two-fluid equations. 2. One-fluid equation: (a) One-fluid variables. (b) One-fluid equations: quasi-neutrality. (c) Resistive MHD equations. (d) Ideal MHD equations: one-adiabatic approximation; double-adiabatic approximation - CGL. 3. MHD stability problem - energy principle: (a) Linearized ideal MHD equations: force-operator equation. (b) Boundary conditions. (c) Self-adjointness of force operator. (d) The energy principle. 4. Stability problems: application of the energy principle; stability of sharp-boundary plasmas. 5. Thermodynamic approach for stability of plasmas: Newcomb and Rosenbluth's stability criteria. (author)

Force-free thin flux tubes: Basic equations and stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhugzhda, Y.D.

1996-01-01

The thin flux tube approximation is considered for a straight, symmetrical, force-free, rigidly rotating flux tube. The derived set of equations describes tube, body sausage, and Alfveacute charn wave modes and is valid for any values of Β. The linear waves and instabilities of force-free flux tubes are considered. The comparison of approximate and exact solutions for an untwisted, nonrotating flux tube is performed. It is shown that the approximate and exact dispersion equations coincides, except the 20% discrepancy of sausage frequencies. An effective cross section is proposed to introduce the removal of this discrepancy. It makes the derived approximation correct for the force-free thin flux tube dynamics, except the detailed structure of radial eigenfunction. The dispersion of Alfveacute charn torsional waves in a force-free tubes appears. The valve effect of one directional propagation of waves in rotating twisted tube is revealed. The current and rotational sausage instabilities of a force-free, thin flux tube are considered. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

Dynamic stability analysis of circular arch subjected to follower forces with small disturbances; Judo kaju wo ukeru enkei arch no yuran ni yoru doteki kyodo to anteisei kaiseki

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fukuchi, N.; Okada, K. [Kyushu University, Fukuoka (Japan). Faculty of Engineering; Hirano, Y. [Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-09-04

This paper describes the deformation and dynamic stability of circular arch subjected to follower forces in a submerged membrane type marine structure reinforced by arch frames. Governing equations for finite deformations of the circular arch subjected to follower forces are introduced using an embedded curve coordinate, which are formulated by applying Galerkin method. In addition, equations of motion due to small disturbances under given condition of loading are introduced. Based on these equations, dynamic stability of the arch is analyzed by means of Runnge-Kutta-Gill method, to clarify the relationship between disturbances and instability regions and the resulting phenomena. Near the boundary regions of stability, both amplitude and cycle of deformation are greatly affected by the amplitude of disturbances. The dynamic instability is governed by the inverse symmetry primary mode with minimum characteristic frequency which is specific for the circular arch. The dynamic stability has high parameter dependency, and the instability regions have a complicated shapes. Although flattened arch has a smaller static critical load, it provides the dynamic stability against the disturbance. 5 refs., 10 figs.

TWTF project criticality task force final review and assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKinley, K.B.; Cannon, J.W.; Wheeler, F.J.; Worle, H.A.

1980-11-01

The Transuranic Waste Treatment Facility (TWTF) is being developed to process transuranic waste, stored and buried at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, into a chemically inert, physically stable basalt-like residue acceptable at a federal repository. A task force was assembled by the TWTF Project Division to review and assess all aspects of criticality safety for the TWTF. This document presents the final review, assessments, and recommendations of this task force. The following conclusions were made: Additional criticality studies are needed for the entire envelope of feed compositions and temperature effects. Safe operating k/sub eff/'s need to be determined for process components. Criticality analyses validation experiments may also be required. SRP neutron interrogation should be replaced by DDT neutron interrogation. Accuracy studies need to be performed for the proposed assaying techniques. Time-correlated neutron monitoring needs to be mocked up for process components to prove feasibility and determine accuracy. The criticality control techniques developed for the TWTF conceptual design are in compliance with ERDAM 0530, including the Double Contingency Rule. Detailed procedures and controls need to be developed

Eielson Air Force Base OU-1 baseline risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarvis, M.T.; Jarvis, T.T.; Van Houten, N.C.; Lewis, R.E.

1993-09-01

This Baseline Risk Assessment report is the second volume in a set of three volumes for operable Unit 1 (OU-1). The companion documents contain the Remedial Investigation and the Feasibility Study. Operable Unit 1 (OU-1) is one of several groups of hazardous waste sites located at Eielson Air Force Base (AFB) near Fairbanks, Alaska. The operable units at Eielson are typically characterized by petroleum, oil, lubricant/solvent contamination, and by the presence of organics floating at the water table. In 1989 and 1990, firms under contract to the Air Force conducted field studies to gather information about the extent of chemical contamination in soil, groundwater, and soil air pore space (soil gas) at the site. This report documents the results of a baseline risk assessment, which uses the 1989 and 1991 site characterization database to quantify the potential human health risk associated with past Base industrial activities in the vicinity of OU-1. Background data collected in 1992 were also used in the preparation of this report

Assessing slope stability in unplanned settlements in developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Malcolm G; Holcombe, Liz; Renaud, Jean-Philippe

2007-10-01

Unplanned housing in developing countries is often located on steep slopes. Frequently no building code is enforced for such housing and mains water is provided with no drainage provision. Both of these factors can be particularly significant in terms of landslide risk if, as is so often the case, such slopes lack any planned drainage provision. There is thus a need to develop a model that facilitates the assessment of slope stability in an holistic context, incorporating a wide range of factors (including surface cover, soil water topographic convergence, slope loading and point source water leakage) in order that appropriate advice can be given as to the general controls on slope stability in such circumstances. This paper outlines a model configured for this specific purpose and describes an application to a site in St. Lucia, West Indies, where there is active slope movement in an unplanned housing development on relatively steep topography. The model findings are in accord with the nature of the current failure at the site, provide guidance as to the significance of slope drainage and correspond to inferences drawn from an application of resistance envelope methods to the site. In being able to scenario test a uniquely wide range of combinations of factors, the model structure is shown to be highly valuable in assessing dominant slope stability process controls in such complex environments.

Stabilization Operations Through Military Capacity Building-Integration Between Danish Conventional Forces and Special Operations Forces

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-01

INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK v ABSTRACT Due to instability in Africa and the Middle East, Denmark’s political commitment to deploy troops to stabilize ...Denmark’s political commitment to deploy troops to stabilize fragile regions is not expected to decrease in the near future. The political ambition for...fragile regions is not expected to decrease in the near future. The political ambition for Denmark is to conduct stabilization efforts through

Patrick Air Force Base integrated resource assessment. Volume 2, Baseline detail

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wahlstrom, R.R.; King, D.A.; Parker, S.A.; Sandusky, W.F.

1993-08-01

The US Air Force has tasked the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), in support of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), to assess energy use at Patrick Air Force Base (AFB). The information obtained from this assessment will be used in identifying energy resource opportunities to reduce overall energy consumption on the base. The primary focus of this report is to assess the current baseline energy consumption at Patrick AFB. It is a comparison report to Volume 1, the Executive Summary, and Volume 3, the Resource Assessment. This assessment requires that information be obtained and characterized for buildings, utilities, energy sources, energy uses, and load profile information to be used to improve the characterization of energy use on the base. The characteristics of electricity, natural gas, and No. 2 fuel oil are analyzed for on-base facilities and housing. The assessment examines basic regional information used to determine energy-use intensity (EUI) values for Patrick AFB facilities by building, fuel type, and energy end use. It also provides a summary of electricity consumption from Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) metered data for 1985-1991. Load profile information obtained from FPL data is presented for the north and south substations for the four seasons of the year, including weekdays and weekends.

Effect of Perturbations in Coriolis and Centrifugal Forces on the Nonlinear Stability of Equilibrium Point in Robe's Restricted Circular Three-Body Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. P. Hallan

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of perturbations in Coriolis and cetrifugal forces on the nonlinear stability of the equilibrium point of the Robe's (1977 restricted circular three-body problem has been studied when the density parameter K is zero. By applying Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser (KAM theory, it has been found that the equilibrium point is stable for all mass ratios μ in the range of linear stability 8/9+(2/3((43/25ϵ1−(10/3ϵ<μ<1, where ϵ and ϵ1 are, respectively, the perturbations in Coriolis and centrifugal forces, except for five mass ratios μ1=0.93711086−1.12983217ϵ+1.50202694ϵ1, μ2 = 0.9672922−0.5542091ϵ+ 1.2443968ϵ1, μ3=0.9459503−0.70458206ϵ+ 1.28436549ϵ1, μ4=0.9660792−0.30152273ϵ + 1.11684064ϵ1, μ5=0.893981−2.37971679ϵ + 1.22385421ϵ1, where the theory is not applicable.

Methods for assessing the stability of slopes during earthquakes-A retrospective

Science.gov (United States)

Jibson, R.W.

2011-01-01

During the twentieth century, several methods to assess the stability of slopes during earthquakes were developed. Pseudostatic analysis was the earliest method; it involved simply adding a permanent body force representing the earthquake shaking to a static limit-equilibrium analysis. Stress-deformation analysis, a later development, involved much more complex modeling of slopes using a mesh in which the internal stresses and strains within elements are computed based on the applied external loads, including gravity and seismic loads. Stress-deformation analysis provided the most realistic model of slope behavior, but it is very complex and requires a high density of high-quality soil-property data as well as an accurate model of soil behavior. In 1965, Newmark developed a method that effectively bridges the gap between these two types of analysis. His sliding-block model is easy to apply and provides a useful index of co-seismic slope performance. Subsequent modifications to sliding-block analysis have made it applicable to a wider range of landslide types. Sliding-block analysis provides perhaps the greatest utility of all the types of analysis. It is far easier to apply than stress-deformation analysis, and it yields much more useful information than does pseudostatic analysis. ?? 2010.

An Improved On-line Contingency Screening for Power System Transient Stability Assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weckesser, Johannes Tilman Gabriel; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Glavic, Mevludin

2017-01-01

This paper presents a contingency screening method and a framework for its on-line implementation. The proposed method carries out contingency screening and on-line stability assessment with respect to first-swing transient stability. For that purpose, it utilizes the single machine equivalent...... method and aims at improving the prior developed contingency screening approaches. In order to determine vulnerability of the system with respect to a particular contingency, only one time-domain simulation needs to be performed. An early stop criteria is proposed so that in a majority of the cases...... the simulation can be terminated after a few hundred milliseconds of simulated system response. The method's outcome is an assessment of the system's stability and a classification of each considered contingency. The contingencies are categorized by exploiting parameters of an equivalent one machine infinite bus...

Stability enhancement of an atomic force microscope for long-term force measurement including cantilever modification for whole cell deformation

Science.gov (United States)

Weafer, P. P.; McGarry, J. P.; van Es, M. H.; Kilpatrick, J. I.; Ronan, W.; Nolan, D. R.; Jarvis, S. P.

2012-09-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is widely used in the study of both morphology and mechanical properties of living cells under physiologically relevant conditions. However, quantitative experiments on timescales of minutes to hours are generally limited by thermal drift in the instrument, particularly in the vertical (z) direction. In addition, we demonstrate the necessity to remove all air-liquid interfaces within the system for measurements in liquid environments, which may otherwise result in perturbations in the measured deflection. These effects severely limit the use of AFM as a practical tool for the study of long-term cell behavior, where precise knowledge of the tip-sample distance is a crucial requirement. Here we present a readily implementable, cost effective method of minimizing z-drift and liquid instabilities by utilizing active temperature control combined with a customized fluid cell system. Long-term whole cell mechanical measurements were performed using this stabilized AFM by attaching a large sphere to a cantilever in order to approximate a parallel plate system. An extensive examination of the effects of sphere attachment on AFM data is presented. Profiling of cantilever bending during substrate indentation revealed that the optical lever assumption of free ended cantilevering is inappropriate when sphere constraining occurs, which applies an additional torque to the cantilevers "free" end. Here we present the steps required to accurately determine force-indentation measurements for such a scenario. Combining these readily implementable modifications, we demonstrate the ability to investigate long-term whole cell mechanics by performing strain controlled cyclic deformation of single osteoblasts.

Determination of equivalent mixing height and atmospheric stability assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simon, J.; Bulko, M.; Holy, K.

2007-01-01

Atmospheric stability is an indicator that reflects the intensity of boundary layer mixing processes. This feature of the atmosphere is especially important since it defines dispersive atmospheric conditions and provides information on how effectively the anthropogenic pollution will be transferred to the higher levels of the atmosphere. The assessment of atmospheric dispersiveness plays a crucial role in the protection of air quality and public health in big cities. The presented paper deals with determination of atmospheric stability via so called Equivalent Mixing Height (EMH) quantity using a radioactive noble gas 222 Rn. A method of deriving a link between 222 Rn activity concentration, eddy diffusion coefficient and EMH using fluid mechanics is also outlined in this work. (authors)

Forelimb and hindlimb ground reaction forces of walking cats: Assessment and comparison with walking dogs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Corbee, R.J.; Maas, H.; Doornenbal, A; Hazewinkel, H.A.W.

2014-01-01

The primary aim of this study was to assess the potential of force plate analysis for describing the stride cycle of the cat. The secondary aim was to define differences in feline and canine locomotion based on force plate characteristics. Ground reaction forces of 24 healthy cats were measured and

Stabilité des pipelines non ensouillés. Etude bibliographique Stability of Unburied Pipelines. Bibliographic Study

OpenAIRE

Alliot J. M.

2006-01-01

The integrity of an unburied subsea pipeline depends to a very large extent on its stability on the seabed along its entire length. Hence the determination of this stability is of great importance in the engineering design of pipelines. This article proposes to examine the principal problems raised by the stability of unburied pipelines in the field of soil mechanics. These problems mainly concern the reactions of the soil to pipelines and their assessment, i. e. the forces of soil resistance...

Significant improvements in stability and reproducibility of atomic-scale atomic force microscopy in liquid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akrami, S M R; Nakayachi, H; Fukuma, T; Watanabe-Nakayama, T; Asakawa, H

2014-01-01

Recent advancement of dynamic-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) for liquid-environment applications enabled atomic-scale studies on various interfacial phenomena. However, instabilities and poor reproducibility of the measurements often prevent systematic studies. To solve this problem, we have investigated the effect of various tip treatment methods for atomic-scale imaging and force measurements in liquid. The tested methods include Si coating, Ar plasma, Ar sputtering and UV/O 3 cleaning. We found that all the methods provide significant improvements in both the imaging and force measurements in spite of the tip transfer through the air. Among the methods, we found that the Si coating provides the best stability and reproducibility in the measurements. To understand the origin of the fouling resistance of the cleaned tip surface and the difference between the cleaning methods, we have investigated the tip surface properties by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. The results show that the contaminations adsorbed on the tip during the tip transfer through the air should desorb from the surface when it is immersed in aqueous solution due to the enhanced hydrophilicity by the tip treatments. The tip surface prepared by the Si coating is oxidized when it is immersed in aqueous solution. This creates local spots where stable hydration structures are formed. For the other methods, there is no active mechanism to create such local hydration sites. Thus, the hydration structure formed under the tip apex is not necessarily stable. These results reveal the desirable tip properties for atomic-scale AFM measurements in liquid, which should serve as a guideline for further improvements of the tip treatment methods. (paper)

Stability of magnets levitated above superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, L.C.; Logothetis, E.M.; Soltis, R.E.

1988-01-01

The stability of a permanent magnet levitated above a slab of hard superconductor is considered. The force on a dipole magnet over a perfectly diamagnetic disk is calculated. It is found that the radial component of the force is directed outward and is 10%--20% of the image (vertical) force near the edge. Estimates of the magnetic friction force due to flux motion in a hard superconductor are made using Bean's model. The magnitude of the magnetic friction is large enough to stabilize the magnet over most of the disk for typical values of the critical current in ceramic superconductors (∼10 3 A/cm 2 ), but too small for the highest values reported (>10 6 A/cm 2 ). It is conjectured that flux trapping due to inhomogeneities gives rise to transient restoring forces

Liquid Self-Balancing Device Effects on Flexible Rotor Stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Urbiola-Soto

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Nearly a century ago, the liquid self-balancing device was first introduced by M. LeBlanc for passive balancing of turbine rotors. Although of common use in many types or rotating machines nowadays, little information is available on the unbalance response and stability characteristics of this device. Experimental fluid flow visualization evidences that radial and traverse circulatory waves arise due to the interaction of the fluid backward rotation and the baffle boards within the self-balancer annular cavity. The otherwise destabilizing force induced by trapped fluids in hollow rotors, becomes a stabilizing mechanism when the cavity is equipped with adequate baffle boards. Further experiments using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV enable to assess the active fluid mass fraction to be one-third of the total fluid mass. An analytical model is introduced to study the effects of the active fluid mass fraction on a flexible rotor supported by flexible supports excited by bwo different destabilizing mechanisms; rotor internal friction damping and aerodynamic cross-coupling. It is found that the fluid radial and traverse forces contribute to the balancing action and to improve the rotor stability, respectively.

Median of patient results as a tool for assessment of analytical stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Jørgensen, Lars Mønster; Hansen, Steen Ingemann; Petersen, Per Hyltoft; Sölétormos, György

2015-06-15

In spite of the well-established external quality assessment and proficiency testing surveys of analytical quality performance in laboratory medicine, a simple tool to monitor the long-term analytical stability as a supplement to the internal control procedures is often needed. Patient data from daily internal control schemes was used for monthly appraisal of the analytical stability. This was accomplished by using the monthly medians of patient results to disclose deviations from analytical stability, and by comparing divergences with the quality specifications for allowable analytical bias based on biological variation. Seventy five percent of the twenty analytes achieved on two COBASs INTEGRA 800 instruments performed in accordance with the optimum and with the desirable specifications for bias. Patient results applied in analytical quality performance control procedures are the most reliable sources of material as they represent the genuine substance of the measurements and therefore circumvent the problems associated with non-commutable materials in external assessment. Patient medians in the monthly monitoring of analytical stability in laboratory medicine are an inexpensive, simple and reliable tool to monitor the steadiness of the analytical practice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Real time relationship between individual finger force and grip exertion on distal phalanges in linear force following tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Shi-Jian; Shu, Ge; Gong, Yan

2018-05-01

Individual finger force (FF) in a grip task is a vital concern in rehabilitation engineering and precise control of manipulators because disorders in any of the fingers will affect the stability or accuracy of the grip force (GF). To understand the functions of each finger in a dynamic grip exertion task, a GF following experiment with four individual fingers without thumb was designed. This study obtained four individual FFs from the distal phalanges with a cylindrical handle in dynamic GF following tasks. Ten healthy male subjects with similar hand sizes participated in the four-finger linear GF following tasks at different submaximal voluntary contraction (SMVC) levels. The total GF, individual FF, finger force contribution, and following error were subsequently calculated and analyzed. The statistics indicated the following: 1) the accuracy and stability of GF at low %MVC were significantly higher than those at high SMVC; 2) at low SMVC, the ability of the fingers to increase the GF was better than the ability to reduce it, but it was contrary at high SMVC; 3) when the target wave (TW) was changing, all four fingers strongly participated in the force exertion, but the participation of the little finger decreased significantly when TW remained stable; 4) the index finger and ring finger had a complementary relationship and played a vital role in the adjustment and control of GF. The middle finger and little finger had a minor influence on the force control and adjustment. In conclusion, each of the fingers had different functions in a GF following task. These findings can be used in the assessment of finger injury rehabilitation and for algorithms of precise control. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low-Back Biomechanics and Static Stability During Isometric Pushing

Science.gov (United States)

Granata, Kevin P.; Bennett, Bradford C.

2006-01-01

Pushing and pulling tasks are increasingly prevalent in industrial workplaces. Few studies have investigated low-back biomechanical risk factors associated with pushing, and we are aware of none that has quantified spinal stability during pushing exertions. Data recorded from 11 healthy participants performing isometric pushing exertions demonstrated that trunk posture, vector force direction of the applied load, and trunk moment were influenced (p pushing task, and foot position. A biomechanical model was used to analyze the posture and hand force data gathered from the pushing exertions. Model results indicate that pushing exertions provide significantly (p pushing exertions. If one maintains stability by means of cocontraction, additional spinal load is thereby created, increasing the risk of overload injury. Thus it is important to consider muscle cocontraction when evaluating the biomechanics of pushing exertions. Potential applications of this research include improved assessment of biomechanical risk factors for the design of industrial pushing tasks. PMID:16435695

Dynamic stability of a cantilevered Timoshenko beam on partial elastic foundations subjected to a follower force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryu, Bong Jo; Shin, Kwang Bok; Yim, Kyung Bin; Yoon, Young Sik

2006-01-01

This paper presents the dynamic stability of a cantilevered Timoshenko beam with a concentrated mass, partially attached to elastic foundations, and subjected to a follower force. Governing equations are derived from the extended Hamilton's principle, and FEM is applied to solve the discretized equation. The influence of some parameters such as the elastic foundation parameter, the positions of partial elastic foundations, shear deformations, the rotary inertia of the beam, and the mass and the rotary inertia of the concentrated mass on the critical flutter load is investigated. Finally, the optimal attachment ratio of partial elastic foundation that maximizes the critical flutter load is presented

Contact force structure and force chains in 3D sheared granular systems

Science.gov (United States)

Mair, Karen; Jettestuen, Espen; Abe, Steffen

2010-05-01

Faults often exhibit accumulations of granular debris, ground up to create a layer of rock flour or fault gouge separating the rigid fault walls. Numerical simulations and laboratory experiments of sheared granular materials, suggest that applied loads are preferentially transmitted across such systems by transient force networks that carry enhanced forces. The characterisation of such features is important since their nature and persistence almost certainly influence the macroscopic mechanical stability of these systems and potentially that of natural faults. 3D numerical simulations of granular shear are a valuable investigation tool since they allow us to track individual particle motions, contact forces and their evolution during applied shear, that are difficult to view directly in laboratory experiments or natural fault zones. In characterising contact force distributions, it is important to use global structure measures that allow meaningful comparisons of granular systems having e.g. different grain size distributions, as may be expected at different stages of a fault's evolution. We therefore use a series of simple measures to characterise the structure, such as distributions and correlations of contact forces that can be mapped onto a force network percolation problem as recently proposed by Ostojic and coworkers for 2D granular systems. This allows the use of measures from percolation theory to both define and characterise the force networks. We demonstrate the application of this method to 3D simulations of a sheared granular material. Importantly, we then compare our measure of the contact force structure with macroscopic frictional behaviour measured at the boundaries of our model to determine the influence of the force networks on macroscopic mechanical stability.

Wide-Area Assessment of Aperiodic Small Signal Rotor Angle Stability in Real-Time

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Nielsen, Arne Hejde; Østergaard, Jacob

2013-01-01

This paper presents the details of a new real-time stability assessment method. The method assesses a particular mechanism of stability: each generator’s capability to generate sufficient steady state electromechanical torque. The lack of sufficient steady state torque causes aperiodic increase...... of multiple operating points is derived in the paper. Finally, results from time-domain simulation of instability scenarios in the Nordic32 test system are presented and results used for testing the assessment method. The results illustrate the method’s capability to efficiently identify the location...... in rotor angle and a loss of synchronism, referred to as aperiodic small signal instability. The paper provides the theoretical background of the method and an analytical assessment criterion. Furthermore, a mathematical mapping of the generators’ operating points that enables informative visualization...

ASSESSING CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON THE STABILITY OF SMALL TIDAL INLETS: Part 2- DATA RICH ENVIRONMENTS.

Science.gov (United States)

Duong, Trang Minh; Ranasinghe, Roshanka; Thatcher, Marcus; Mahanama, Sarith; Wang, Zheng Bing; Dissanayake, Pushpa Kumara; Hemer, Mark; Luijendijk, Arjen; Bamunawala, Janaka; Roelvink, Dano; Walstra, Dirkjan

2018-01-01

Climate change (CC) is likely to affect the thousands of bar-built or barrier estuaries (here referred to as Small tidal inlets - STIs) around the world. Any such CC impacts on the stability of STIs, which governs the dynamics of STIs as well as that of the inlet-adjacent coastline, can result in significant socio-economic consequences due to the heavy human utilisation of these systems and their surrounds. This article demonstrates the application of a process based snap-shot modelling approach, using the coastal morphodynamic model Delft3D , to 3 case study sites representing the 3 main STI types; Permanently open, locationally stable inlets (Type 1), Permanently open, alongshore migrating inlets (Type 2) and Seasonally/Intermittently open, locationally stable inlets (Type 3). The 3 case study sites (Negombo lagoon - Type 1, Kalutara lagoon - Type 2, and Maha Oya river - Type 3) are all located along the southwest coast of Sri Lanka. After successful hydrodynamic and morphodynamic model validation at the 3 case study sites, CC impact assessment are undertaken for a high end greenhouse gas emission scenario. Future CC modified wave and riverflow conditions are derived from a regional scale application of spectral wave models (WaveWatch III and SWAN) and catchment scale applications of a hydrologic model (CLSM) respectively, both of which are forced with IPCC Global Climate Model output dynamically downscaled to ~ 50 km resolution over the study area with the stretched grid Conformal Cubic Atmospheric Model CCAM. Results show that while all 3 case study STIs will experience significant CC driven variations in their level of stability, none of them will change Type by the year 2100. Specifically, the level of stability of the Type 1 inlet will decrease from 'Good' to 'Fair to poor' by 2100, while the level of (locational) stability of the Type 2 inlet will also decrease with a doubling of the annual migration distance. Conversely, the stability of the Type 3 inlet

Impact assessment of land use planning driving forces on environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Longgao, E-mail: chenlonggao@163.com [Institute of Land Resources, Jiangsu Normal University (JSNU), Xuzhou 221116 (China); Yang, Xiaoyan [Institute of Land Resources, Jiangsu Normal University (JSNU), Xuzhou 221116 (China); School of Environment and Spatial Informatics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116 (China); Chen, Longqian [School of Environment and Spatial Informatics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116 (China); Li, Long [Department of Geography, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 (Belgium)

2015-11-15

Land use change may exert a negative impact on environmental quality. A state–impact–state (SIS) model describing a state transform under certain impacts has been integrated into land use planning (LUP) environmental impact assessment (LUPEA). This logical model is intuitive and easy to understand, but the exploration of impact is essential to establish the indicator system and to identify the scope of land use environmental impact when it is applied to a specific region. In this study, we investigated environmental driving forces from land use planning (LUPF), along with the conception, components, scope, and impact of LUPF. This method was illustrated by a case study in Zoucheng, China. Through the results, we concluded that (1) the LUPF on environment are impacts originated from the implementation of LUP on a regional environment, which are characterized by four aspects: magnitude, direction, action point, and its owner; (2) various scopes of LUPF on individual environmental elements based on different standards jointly define the final scope of LUPEA; (3) our case study in Zoucheng demonstrates the practicability of this proposed approach; (4) this method can be embedded into LUPEA with direction, magnitudes, and scopes of the LUPF on individual elements obtained, and the identified indicator system can be directly employed into LUPEA and (5) the assessment helps to identify key indicators and to set up a corresponding strategy to mitigate the negative impact of LUP on the environment, which are two important objectives of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in LUP. - Highlights: • Environmental driving forces from land use planning (LUPF) are investigated and categorized. • Our method can obtains the direction, magnitudes and scopes of environmental driving forces. • The LUPEA scope is determined by the combination of various scopes of LUPF on individual elements. • LUPF assessment can be embedded into LUPEA. • The method can help to

Vermicomposting of Food Waste: Assessing the Stability and Maturity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monireh Majlessi

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The vermicompost using earthworms (Eisenia Fetida was produced from food waste and chemical parameters (EC, pH, carbon to nitrogen contents(C/N and germination bioassaywas examined in order to assess the stability and maturity indicators during the vermicomposting process. The seed used in the germination bioassay was cress.The ranges of EC,pH, C/N and germination index were 7.5-4.9 mS/cm, 5.6-7.53, 30.13-14.32% and 12.8- 58.4%, espectively. The germination index (GI value revealed that vermicompost rendered as moderate phytotoxic to cress seed.Pearson correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the relationship between the parameters. High statistically significant correlation coefficient was calculated between the GI value and EC in the vermicompost at the 99% confidence level.The C/N value showed that the vermicompost was stable. As a result of these observations, stability test alone, was not able to ensure high vermicompost quality. Therefore, it appears that determining vermicompost quality requires a simultaneous use of maturity and stability tests.

Computational stability of human knee joint at early stance in Gait: Effects of muscle coactivity and anterior cruciate ligament deficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharifi, M; Shirazi-Adl, A; Marouane, H

2017-10-03

As one of the most complex and vulnerable structures of body, the human knee joint should maintain dynamic equilibrium and stability in occupational and recreational activities. The evaluation of its stability and factors affecting it is vital in performance evaluation/enhancement, injury prevention and treatment managements. Knee stability often manifests itself by pain, hypermobility and giving-way sensations and is usually assessed by the passive joint laxity tests. Mechanical stability of both the human knee joint and the lower extremity at early stance periods of gait (0% and 5%) were quantified here for the first time using a hybrid musculoskeletal model of the lower extremity. The roles of muscle coactivity, simulated by setting minimum muscle activation at 0-10% levels and ACL deficiency, simulated by reducing ACL resistance by up to 85%, on the stability margin as well as joint biomechanics (contact/muscle/ligament forces) were investigated. Dynamic stability was analyzed using both linear buckling and perturbation approaches at the final deformed configurations in gait. The knee joint was much more stable at 0% stance than at 5% due to smaller ground reaction and contact forces. Muscle coactivity, when at lower intensities (knee joint at the heel strike. It also markedly diminishes forces in lateral hamstrings (by up to 39%) and contact forces on the lateral plateau (by up to 17%). Current work emphasizes the need for quantification of the lower extremity stability margin in gait. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Forelimb and hindlimb ground reaction forces of walking cats: assessment and comparison with walking dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Corbee, R J; Maas, H; Doornenbal, A; Hazewinkel, H A W

2014-10-01

The primary aim of this study was to assess the potential of force plate analysis for describing the stride cycle of the cat. The secondary aim was to define differences in feline and canine locomotion based on force plate characteristics. Ground reaction forces of 24 healthy cats were measured and compared with ground reaction forces of 24 healthy dogs. Force-time waveforms in cats generated by force plate analysis were consistent, as reflected by intra-class correlation coefficients for peak vertical force, peak propulsive force and peak braking force (0.94-0.95, 0.85-0.89 and 0.89-0.90, respectively). Compared with dogs, cats had a higher peak vertical force during the propulsion phase (cat, 3.89 ± 0.19 N/kg; dog, 3.03 ± 0.16 N/kg), and a higher hindlimb propulsive force (cat, -1.08 ± 0.13 N/kg; dog, (-0.87 ± 0.13 N/kg) and hindlimb impulse (cat, -0.18 ± 0.03 N/kg; dog, -0.14 ± 0.02 N/kg). Force plate analysis is a valuable tool for the assessment of locomotion in cats, because it can be applied in the clinical setting and provides a non-invasive and objective measurement of locomotion characteristics with high repeatability in cats, as well as information about kinetic characteristics. Differences in force-time waveforms between cats and dogs can be explained by the more crouched position of cats during stance and their more compliant gait compared with dogs. Feline waveforms of the medio-lateral ground reaction forces also differ between cats and dogs and this can be explained by differences in paw supination-pronation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of metabolic stability using the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) liver S9 fraction

Science.gov (United States)

Standard protocols are given for assessing metabolic stability in rainbow trout using the liver S9 fraction. These protocols describe the isolation of S9 fractions from trout livers, evaluation of metabolic stability using a substrate depletion approach, and expression of the res...

Effects of electric field and Coriolis force on electrohydrodynamic stability of poorly conducting couple stress parallel fluid flow in a channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shankar, B.M.; Rudraiah, N.

2013-01-01

The effective functioning of microfluidic devices in chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering involving fluidics particularly those having vibrations and petroleum products containing organic, inorganic and other microfluidics require understanding and control of stability of poorly conducting parallel fluid flows. The electrical conductivity, σ, of a poorly conducting fluidics, increases with the temperature and the concentration of freely suspended particles like RBC, WBC and so on in the blood, the hylauronic acid (HA) and nutrients of synovial fluid in synovial joints will spin producing microrotation, forming micropolar fluid of Eringen. The presence of Deuterium - Tritium (DT) in inertial fusion target (IFT) may also be modeled using micropolar fluid theory of Eringen. A particular case of micropolar fluid theory when microrotation balances with the natural vorticity of a poorly conducting fluidics in the presence of an electric field is called ‘electrohydrodynamic couple stress fluid’ (EHDCF). These EHDCFs exhibit a variation of electrical conductivity, ∇ σ, increasing with temperature and concentration of freely suspended particles, releases the charges from the nuclei forming distribution of charge density, ρ e . These charges induce an electric field, 1 E i . If need be, we can apply an electric field, 1 E a , by embedding electrodes of different potentials at the boundaries. The total electric field, 1 E = 1 E i + 1 E a , produces a current density, 1 J = ρ σ 1 E, according to Ohm’s law and also produces an electric force, 1 F σ = σ 1 E. This current 1 J acts as sensing and the force, 1 F σ acts as actuation. These two properties make the poorly conducting couple stress fluid to act as a smart material. The objective of this paper is to show that EHDCV in presence of coriolis force plays a significant role in controlling the stability of parallel flows which is essential for an effective functioning of machineries that occur in

Assessing resistance of stabilized corrosion resistant steels to intergranular corrosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karas, A.; Cihal, V. Jr.; Vanek, V.; Herzan, J.; Protiva, K.; Cihal, V.

1987-01-01

Resistance to intergranular corrosion was determined for four types of titanium-stabilized steels from the coefficients of stabilization efficiency according to the degree the chemical composition was known. The ATA SUPER steel showed the highest resistance parameter value. The resistance of this type of steel of a specific composition, showing a relatively low value of mean nitrogen content was compared with steel of an optimized chemical composition and with low-carbon niobium stabilized, molybdenum modified steels. The comparison showed guarantees of a sufficient resistance of the steel to intergranular corrosion. The method of assessing the resistance to intergranular corrosion using the calculation of the minimum content of Cr', i.e., the effective chromium content, and the maximum effective carbon content C' giving the resistance parameter k seems to be prospective for practical use in the production of corrosion resistant steels. (author). 1 tab., 5 figs., 15 refs

Title Qualitative stability assessment of cut slopes along the national ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

64

Qualitative stability assessment of cut slopes along the national highway- 05 around Jhakri area, .... The rock types in the area are augen migmatite, biotite gneiss, quartz ..... slopes using quantified method (Sonmez and Ulusay 1999, 2002). Finally a .... through numerical simulation is suggested by many researchers. 1. 2. 3.

Stable dynamics in forced systems with sufficiently high/low forcing frequency.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartuccelli, M; Gentile, G; Wright, J A

2016-08-01

We consider parametrically forced Hamiltonian systems with one-and-a-half degrees of freedom and study the stability of the dynamics when the frequency of the forcing is relatively high or low. We show that, provided the frequency is sufficiently high, Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser (KAM) theorem may be applied even when the forcing amplitude is far away from the perturbation regime. A similar result is obtained for sufficiently low frequency, but in that case we need the amplitude of the forcing to be not too large; however, we are still able to consider amplitudes which are outside of the perturbation regime. In addition, we find numerically that the dynamics may be stable even when the forcing amplitude is very large, well beyond the range of validity of the analytical results, provided the frequency of the forcing is taken correspondingly low.

Customization, control, and characterization of a commercial haptic device for high-fidelity rendering of weak forces.

Science.gov (United States)

Gurari, Netta; Baud-Bovy, Gabriel

2014-09-30

The emergence of commercial haptic devices offers new research opportunities to enhance our understanding of the human sensory-motor system. Yet, commercial device capabilities have limitations which need to be addressed. This paper describes the customization of a commercial force feedback device for displaying forces with a precision that exceeds the human force perception threshold. The device was outfitted with a multi-axis force sensor and closed-loop controlled to improve its transparency. Additionally, two force sensing resistors were attached to the device to measure grip force. Force errors were modeled in the frequency- and time-domain to identify contributions from the mass, viscous friction, and Coulomb friction during open- and closed-loop control. The effect of user interaction on system stability was assessed in the context of a user study which aimed to measure force perceptual thresholds. Findings based on 15 participants demonstrate that the system maintains stability when rendering forces ranging from 0-0.20 N, with an average maximum absolute force error of 0.041 ± 0.013 N. Modeling the force errors revealed that Coulomb friction and inertia were the main contributors to force distortions during respectively slow and fast motions. Existing commercial force feedback devices cannot render forces with the required precision for certain testing scenarios. Building on existing robotics work, this paper shows how a device can be customized to make it reliable for studying the perception of weak forces. The customized and closed-loop controlled device is suitable for measuring force perceptual thresholds. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stabilization of computational procedures for constrained dynamical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Park, K. C.; Chiou, J. C.

1988-01-01

A new stabilization method of treating constraints in multibody dynamical systems is presented. By tailoring a penalty form of the constraint equations, the method achieves stabilization without artificial damping and yields a companion matrix differential equation for the constraint forces; hence, the constraint forces are obtained by integrating the companion differential equation for the constraint forces in time. A principal feature of the method is that the errors committed in each constraint condition decay with its corresponding characteristic time scale associated with its constraint force. Numerical experiments indicate that the method yields a marked improvement over existing techniques.

Force-Velocity-Power Assessment in Semiprofessional Rugby Union Players.

Science.gov (United States)

McMaster, Daniel T; Gill, Nicholas D; Cronin, John B; McGuigan, Michael R

2016-04-01

There is a constant and necessary evolution of training and assessment methods in the elite contact sports; as is required to continually improve the physical qualities of these respective athletes to match the growing sport and position-specific performance demands. Our aim was to examine the differences between ballistic upper body performance profiles and maximum upper body strength of elite rugby union forwards and backs. Twenty semiprofessional male rugby union players (age = 21.1 ± 3.0 years; mass = 94.9 ± 9.7 kg) were assessed for maximum bench press strength (1RM bench press = 121.3 ± 21.8 kg) and maximum throw power (Pmax), force (Fmax), and velocity (V[Combining Dot Above]max) from an incremental relative load testing protocol (15, 30, 45, 60, and 75% 1RM). Player rankings were also included to identify individual strength and weaknesses. The forwards were moderately stronger (effect size [ES] = 0.96; p = 0.01), produced significantly greater Fmax (ES = 1.17-1.41; p = 0.01) and were more powerful (ES = 0.57-0.64; p 0.15). There were inherent differences in strength and Fmax between the forwards and backs most likely because of the physical demands of these respective positions. Improvements in upper body strength may in turn improve ballistic force and power production, but not necessarily velocity capabilities. From the Fmax and V[Combining Dot Above]max observations, the forwards seem to be more force dominant and the backs more velocity dominant. Pmax, Fmax, and V[Combining Dot Above]max may be used to highlight proficient and deficient areas in ballistic upper body performance; the individual rankings could be further used to identify and possibly rectify individual deficiencies.

An Optimization-Based Impedance Approach for Robot Force Regulation with Prescribed Force Limits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. de J. Portillo-Vélez

2015-01-01

Full Text Available An optimization based approach for the regulation of excessive or insufficient forces at the end-effector level is introduced. The objective is to minimize the interaction force error at the robot end effector, while constraining undesired interaction forces. To that end, a dynamic optimization problem (DOP is formulated considering a dynamic robot impedance model. Penalty functions are considered in the DOP to handle the constraints on the interaction force. The optimization problem is online solved through the gradient flow approach. Convergence properties are presented and the stability is drawn when the force limits are considered in the analysis. The effectiveness of our proposal is validated via experimental results for a robotic grasping task.

Effects of tensor forces in nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanihata, Isao

2013-01-01

Recent studies of nuclei far from the stability line have revealed drastic changes in nuclear orbitals and reported the appearance of new magic numbers and the disappearance of magic numbers observed at the stability line. One of the important reasons for such changes is considered to be because of the effect of tensor forces on nuclear structure. Although the role of tensor forces in binding very light nuclei such as deuterons and 4 He has been known, direct experimental evidence for the effect on nuclear structure is scarce. In this paper, I review known effects of tensor forces in nuclei and then discuss the recently raised question of s–p wave mixing in a halo nucleus of 11 Li. Following these reviews, the development of a new experiment to see the high-momentum components due to the tensor forces is discussed and some of the new data are presented. (paper)

Artificial Intelligence Software for Assessing Postural Stability

Science.gov (United States)

Lieberman, Erez; Forth, Katharine; Paloski, William

2013-01-01

A software package reads and analyzes pressure distributions from sensors mounted under a person's feet. Pressure data from sensors mounted in shoes, or in a platform, can be used to provide a description of postural stability (assessing competence to deficiency) and enables the determination of the person's present activity (running, walking, squatting, falling). This package has three parts: a preprocessing algorithm for reading input from pressure sensors; a Hidden Markov Model (HMM), which is used to determine the person's present activity and level of sensing-motor competence; and a suite of graphical algorithms, which allows visual representation of the person's activity and vestibular function over time.

Biomechanical Effects of Posterior Condylar Offset and Posterior Tibial Slope on Quadriceps Force and Joint Contact Forces in Posterior-Stabilized Total Knee Arthroplasty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyoung-Tak Kang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to determine the biomechanical effect of the posterior condylar offset (PCO and posterior tibial slope (PTS in posterior-stabilized (PS fixed-bearing total knee arthroplasty (TKA. We developed ±1, ±2, and ±3 mm PCO models in the posterior direction and −3°, 0°, 3°, and 6° PTS models using a previously validated FE model. The influence of changes in the PCO and PTS on the biomechanical effects under deep-knee-bend loading was investigated. The contact stress on the PE insert increased by 14% and decreased by 7% on average as the PCO increased and decreased, respectively, compared to the neutral position. In addition, the contact stress on post in PE insert increased by 18% on average as PTS increased from −3° to 6°. However, the contact stress on the patellar button decreased by 11% on average as PTS increased from −3° to 6° in all different PCO cases. The quadriceps force decreased by 14% as PTS increased from −3° to 6° in all PCO models. The same trend was found in patellar tendon force. Changes in PCO had adverse biomechanical effects whereas PTS increase had positive biomechanical effects. However, excessive PTS should be avoided to prevent knee instability and subsequent failure.

Suitability of voltage stability study methods for real-time assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perez, Angel; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Vancraeyveld, Pieter

2013-01-01

This paper analyzes the suitability of existing methods for long-term voltage stability assessment for real-time operation. An overview of the relevant methods is followed with a comparison that takes into account the accuracy, computational efficiency and characteristics when used for security...... assessment. The results enable an evaluation of the run time of each method with respect to the number of inputs. Furthermore, the results assist in identifying which of the methods is most suitable for realtime operation in future power system with production based on fluctuating energy sources....

VALIDATING A COMPUTER-BASED TECHNIQUE FOR ASSESSING STABILITY TO FAILURE STRESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. F. Arshava

2013-03-01

Full Text Available An upsurge of interest in the implicit personality assessment, currently observed both in personality psycho-diagnostics and in experimental studies of social attitudes and prejudices, signals the shifting of researchers’ attention from de?ning between-person personality taxonomy to specifying comprehensive within-person processes, the dynamics of which can be captured at the level of an individual case. This research examines the possibility of the implicit assessment of the individual’s stability vs. susceptibility to failure stress by comparing the degrees of ef?cacy in the voluntary self-regulation of a computer-simulated information-processing activity under different conditions (patent of Ukraine № 91842, issued in 2010. By exposing two groups of participants (university undergraduates to processing the information, the scope of which exceeds the human short-term memory capacity at one of the stages of the modeled activity an unexpected and unavoidable failure is elicited. The participants who retain stability of their self-regulation behavior after having been exposed to failure, i.e. who keep processing information as effectively as they did prior to failure, are claimed to retain homeostasis and thus possess emotional stability. Those, who loose homeostasis after failure and display lower standards of self-regulation behavior, are considered to be susceptible to stress. The validity of the suggested type of the implicit diagnostics was empirically tested by clustering (K-means algorithm two samples of the participants on the  properties of their self-regulation behavior and testing between-cluster differences by a set of the explicitly assessed variables: Action control ef?cacy (Kuhl, 2001, preferred strategies of Coping with Stressful Situations (Endler, Parker, 1990,  Purpose-in-Life orientation (a Russian version of the test by Crumbaugh and Maholick, modi?ed by D.Leontiev, 1992, Psychological Well-being (Ryff, 1989

Resolving amorphous solid-liquid interfaces by atomic force microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burson, Kristen M.; Gura, Leonard; Kell, Burkhard; Büchner, Christin; Lewandowski, Adrian L.; Heyde, Markus; Freund, Hans-Joachim

2016-01-01

Recent advancements in liquid atomic force microscopy make it an ideal technique for probing the structure of solid-liquid interfaces. Here, we present a structural study of a two-dimensional amorphous silica bilayer immersed in an aqueous solution utilizing liquid atomic force microscopy with sub-nanometer resolution. Structures show good agreement with atomically resolved ultra-high vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy images obtained on the same sample system, owing to the structural stability of the silica bilayer and the imaging clarity from the two-dimensional sample system. Pair distance histograms of ring center positions are utilized to develop quantitative metrics for structural comparison, and the physical origin of pair distance histogram peaks is addressed by direct assessment of real space structures.

The application of the Accelerated Stability Assessment Program (ASAP) to quality by design (QbD) for drug product stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Waterman, Kenneth Craig

2011-09-01

An isoconversion paradigm, where times in different temperature and humidity-controlled stability chambers are set to provide a fixed degradant level, is shown to compensate for the complex, non-single order kinetics of solid drug products. A humidity-corrected Arrhenius equation provides reliable estimates for temperature and relative humidity effects on degradation rates. A statistical protocol is employed to determine best fits for chemical stability data, which in turn allows for accurate estimations of shelf life (with appropriate confidence intervals) at any storage condition including inside packaging (based on the moisture vapor transmission rate of the packaging and moisture sorption isotherms of the internal components). These methodologies provide both faster results and far better predictions of chemical stability limited shelf life (expiry) than previously possible. Precise shelf-life estimations are generally determined using a 2-week, product-specific protocol. Once the model for a product is developed, it can play a critical role in providing the product understanding necessary for a quality by design (QbD) filing for product approval and enable rational control strategies to assure product stability. Moreover, this Accelerated Stability Assessment Program (ASAP) enables the coupling of product attributes (e.g., moisture content, packaging options) to allow for flexibility in how control strategies are implemented to provide a balance of cost, speed, and other factors while maintaining adequate stability.

C-5 Propynyl Modifications Enhance the Mechanical Stability of DNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Aschenbrenner, Daniela; Baumann, Fabian; Milles, Lukas F; Pippig, Diana A; Gaub, Hermann E

2015-07-20

Increased thermal or mechanical stability of DNA duplexes is desired for many applications in nanotechnology or -medicine where DNA is used as a programmable building block. Modifications of pyrimidine bases are known to enhance thermal stability and have the advantage of standard base-pairing and easy integration during chemical DNA synthesis. Through single-molecule force spectroscopy experiments with atomic force microscopy and the molecular force assay we investigated the effect of pyrimidines harboring C-5 propynyl modifications on the mechanical stability of double-stranded DNA. Utilizing these complementary techniques, we show that propynyl bases significantly increase the mechanical stability if the DNA is annealed at high temperature. In contrast, modified DNA complexes formed at room temperature and short incubation times display the same stability as non-modified DNA duplexes. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Advanced controls for stability assessment of solar dynamics space power generation

Science.gov (United States)

Momoh, James A.; Anwah, Nnamdi A.

1995-01-01

In support of the power requirements for the Space Station Alpha (SSA), a joint program by the U.S. and Russia for a permanently manned space station to be launched into orbit by 1998, a robust control scheme is needed to assure the stability of the rotating machines that will be integrated into the power subsystem. A framework design and systems studies for modeling and analysis is presented. It employs classical d-q axes machine model with voltage/frequency dependent loads. To guarantee that design requirements and necessary trade studies are done, a functional analysis tool CORE is used for the study. This provides us with different control options for stability assessment. Initial studies and recommendations using advanced simulation tools are also presented. The benefits of the stability/control scheme for evaluating future designs and power management are discussed.

Noise Enhanced Stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spagnolo, B.; Agudov, N.V.; Dubkov, A.A.

2004-01-01

The noise can stabilize a fluctuating or a periodically driven metastable state in such a way that the system remains in this state for a longer time than in the absence of white noise. This is the noise enhanced stability phenomenon, observed experimentally and numerically in different physical systems. After shortly reviewing all the physical systems where the phenomenon was observed, the theoretical approaches used to explain the effect are presented. Specifically the conditions to observe the effect in systems: (a) with periodical driving force, and (b) with random dichotomous driving force, are discussed. In case (b) we review the analytical results concerning the mean first passage time and the nonlinear relaxation time as a function of the white noise intensity, the parameters of the potential barrier, and of the dichotomous noise. (author)

The response of a harmonically forced premixed flame stabilized on a heat-conducting bluff-body

KAUST Repository

Kedia, Kushal S.

2015-01-01

© 2014 The Combustion Institute. The objective of this work is to investigate the unsteady response of a bluff-body stabilized laminar premixed flame to harmonic inlet velocity excitation. A time series analysis was performed to analyze the physical sequence of events at a fixed longitudinal forcing frequency of 100 Hz for cases with (1) two different equivalence ratios and (2) two different thermal properties of the stabilizing bluff-body. It was observed that conjugate heat exchange between the heat conducting bluff-body and the surrounding reacting flow has a crucial impact on the dynamic response. The flame area and anchoring location, the net conjugate heat transfer and the total heat release underwent significant oscillations. The latter was mean shifted and had multiple frequencies. The burning velocity varied significantly along the flame length and the recirculation zone underwent complex changes in its shape and size during an unsteady cycle. The lower equivalence ratio case exhibited vortex shedding after an initial symmetric response with periodic flame extinction and re-ignition along its surface, unlike the higher equivalence ratio case. The metal/ceramic bluff-body showed a net heat transfer directed from/to the bluff-body, to/from the reacting flow during an unsteady cycle, resulting in a significantly different flame response for the two otherwise equivalent cases.

Assessment of light stability of drugs in blood and plasma.

Science.gov (United States)

de Vries, Ronald; Diels, Luc; Dillen, Lieve; Sips, Luc; Van Roosbroek, Dirk; Verhaeghe, Tom; Timmerman, Philip

2016-10-01

A procedure was developed for the assessment of photochemical stability of drugs in blood and plasma under standardized conditions. The procedure avoids a variable outcome of photochemical stability experiments and tests relevant worst case conditions so that unnecessary light protection is avoided. Results/methodology: Blood and plasma were spiked with a mixture of drugs and incubated in a Suntest CPS(+), in the laboratory on the bench and near the window on a sunny summer day. The results were compared. No protection from light, limited protection from light and full protection from light are advised for drugs that are stable in plasma in the Suntest CPS(+) at 250 W/m(2) for at least 30 min, for 5-30 min and for <5 min, respectively.

[Experimental study on carbon fiber reinforced plastic plate--analysis of stabilizing force required for plate].

Science.gov (United States)

Iizuka, H

1990-11-01

Plates currently in use for the management of bone fracture made of metal present with various problems. We manufactured carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) plates from Pyrofil T/530 puriplegs overlaid at cross angles of +/- 10 degrees, +/- 20 degrees, and +/- 30 degrees for trial and carried out an experimental study on rabbit tibiofibular bones using 316L stainless steel plates of comparable shape and size as controls. The results indicate the influence of CFRP plate upon cortical bone was milder than that of stainless steel plate, with an adequate stabilizing force for the repair of fractured rabbit tibiofibular bones. CFRP has the advantages over metals of being virtually free from corrosion and fatigue, reasonably radiolucent and able to meet a wide range of mechanical requirements. This would make CFRP plate quite promising as a new devices of treating fracture of bones.

Final Environmental Assessment for the Runway Extension and New Parking Apron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2004-01-01

The Air Force prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) of the potential environmental consequences of constructing a new heavy parking apron and runway extension at Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB), Florida...

Transient Stability Assessment of Power System with Large Amount of Wind Power Penetration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Leo; Chen, Zhe; Bak, Claus Leth

2012-01-01

Recently, the security and stability of power system with large amount of wind power are the concerned issues, especially the transient stability. In Denmark, the onshore and offshore wind farms are connected to distribution system and transmission system respectively. The control and protection...... methodologies of onshore and offshore wind farms definitely affect the transient stability of power system. In this paper, the onshore and offshore wind farms are modeled in detail in order to assess the transient stability of western Danish power system. Further, the computation of critical clearing time (CCT...... plants, load consumption level and high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission links are taken into account. The results presented in this paper are able to provide an early awareness of power system security condition of the western Danish power system....

Electrogravitational stability of oscillating streaming fluid cylinder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasan, Alfaisal A.

2011-01-01

The electrogravitational instability of on oscillating streaming fluid cylinder under the action of the selfgravitating, capillary and electrodynamic forces has been discussed. The model is governed by the Mathieu second order integro-differential equation. Some limiting cases are recovering from the present general one. The capillary force is destabilizing in a small axisymmetric domain 0< x<1 and stabilizing otherwise. In the absence of electric fields, we found that the model is unstable in a small domain while it is selfgravitating stable in all other domains. The presence of the electric field led to the presence of a great number of stable waves. The electric field has a strong stabilizing influence on the selfgravitating instability of the model. The capillary force has a strong destabilizing influence on the selfgravitating instability of the model. Generally, the uniform stream supports the unstable waves, while the oscillating streaming has stability tendency.

14 CFR 23.173 - Static longitudinal stability.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Static longitudinal stability. 23.173... Stability § 23.173 Static longitudinal stability. Under the conditions specified in § 23.175 and with the airplane trimmed as indicated, the characteristics of the elevator control forces and the friction within...

Assessing Tuition- and Debt-Free Higher Education. NASFAA Task Force Report

Science.gov (United States)

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, 2017

2017-01-01

The Assessing Tuition- and Debt-Free Higher Education Task Force was convened in July 2016. Charged by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators's (NASFAA's) Board of Directors with evaluating the existing landscape of state and local promise programs with a focus on scaling such models to the national level, the task force…

Patrick Air Force Base integrated resource assessment. Volume 3, Resource assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sandusky, W.F.; Parker, S.A.; King, D.A.; Wahlstrom, R.R.; Elliott, D.B.; Shankle, S.A.

1993-12-01

The US Air Force has tasked the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) in support of the US Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program to identify, evaluate, and assist in acquiring all cost effective energy projects at Patrick Air Force Base (AFB). This is part of a model program that PNL is designing to support energy-use decisions in the federal sector. This report provides the results of the fossil fuel and electric energy resource opportunity (ERO) assessments performed by PNL at Patrick AFB which is located south of Cocoa Beach, Florida. It is a companion report to Volume 1, Executive Summary, and Volume.2, Baseline Detail. The results of the analyses of EROs are presented in 11 common energy end-use categories. A narrative description of each ERO is provided, including information on the installed cost, energy and dollar savings, impacts on operations and maintenance, and, when applicable, a discussion of energy supply and demand, energy security, and environmental issues. A description of the evaluation methodologies and technical and cost assumptions is also provided for each ERO. Summary tables present the cost-effectiveness of energy end-use equipment before and after the implementation of each ERO and present the results of the life-cycle cost analysis indicating the net present value and value index of each ERO.

Probabilistic estimates of 1.5-degree carbon budgets based on uncertainty in transient climate response and aerosol forcing

Science.gov (United States)

Partanen, A. I.; Mengis, N.; Jalbert, J.; Matthews, D.

2017-12-01

Nations agreed to limit the increase in global mean surface temperature relative to the preindustrial era below 2 degrees Celsius and pursue efforts to a more ambitious goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve these goals, it is necessary to assess the amount of cumulative carbon emissions compatible with these temperature targets, i.e. so called carbon budgets. In this work, we use the intermediate complexity University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model (UVic ESCM) to assess how uncertainty in aerosol forcing and transient climate response transfers to uncertainty in future carbon budgets for burning fossil fuels. We create a perturbed parameter ensemble of model simulations by scaling aerosol forcing and transient climate response, and assess the likelihood of each simulation by comparing the simulated historical cumulative carbon emissions, CO2 concentration and radiative balance to observations. By weighting the results of each simulation with the likelihood of the simulation, the preliminary results give a carbon budget of 48 Pg C to reach 1.5 degree Celsius temperature increase. The small weighted mean is due to large fraction of simulations with strong aerosol forcing and transient climate response giving negative carbon budgets for this time period. The probability of the carbon budget being over 100 Pg C was 38% and 23% for over 200 Pg carbon budget. The carbon budgets after temperature stabilization at 1.5 degrees are even smaller with a weighted mean of -100 Pg C until the year 2200. The main reason for the negative carbon budgets after temperature stabilization is an assumed strong decrease in aerosol forcing in the 21st century. Conversely, simulations with weak aerosol forcing and transient climate response give positive carbon budgets. Our results highlight both the importance of reducing uncertainty in aerosol forcing and transient climate response, and of taking the non-CO2 forcers into account when estimating carbon budgets.

Evaluation of HVDC interconnection models for considering its impact in real-time voltage stability assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perez, Angel; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Lund, P.

2015-01-01

An approach to evaluate the HVDC interconnectionsmodels to be used in real-time voltage stability assessment is proposed.The existing models for the HVDC interconnections, thatare based on voltage source converter, were studied selecting theones that are suitable for its application in Thevenin...... equivalent ´methods for voltage stability assessment. The proposed methodis to evaluate the validity of the models by using synthetizedPMU measurements from simulations and from PMUs connectedto the danish system. Wide-area measurements are used toestimate the HVDC model parameters which are needed...

Evaluation of enhancements to Thevenin equivalent based methods for real-time voltage stability assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perez, Angel; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Østergaard, Jacob

2014-01-01

The possibilities offered by the use of Phasor Measurement Units (PMU) in real - time monitoring provide interesting ways to ensure secure operation of power systems. This paper studies the specific case of voltage stability and the possible improvements to the Thevenin equivalent methods, which...... is applied generally with local measurements. This paper uses the PMU measurements to calculate the grid transformation coefficients to obtain wide - area information. This is achieved by studying the generator's electromo tive force estimated using values in the coefficient transformation matrix...

Structural Stability and Vibration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wiggers, Sine Leergaard; Pedersen, Pauli

This book offers an integrated introduction to the topic of stability and vibration. Strikingly, it describes stability as a function of boundary conditions and eigenfrequency as a function of both boundary conditions and column force. Based on a post graduate course held by the author at the Uni...... and their derivation, thus stimulating them to write interactive and dynamic programs to analyze instability and vibrational modes....

Median of patient results as a tool for assessment of analytical stability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Lars Mønster; Hansen, Steen Ingemann; Petersen, Per Hyltoft

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: In spite of the well-established external quality assessment and proficiency testing surveys of analytical quality performance in laboratory medicine, a simple tool to monitor the long-term analytical stability as a supplement to the internal control procedures is often needed. METHOD......: Patient data from daily internal control schemes was used for monthly appraisal of the analytical stability. This was accomplished by using the monthly medians of patient results to disclose deviations from analytical stability, and by comparing divergences with the quality specifications for allowable...... analytical bias based on biological variation. RESULTS: Seventy five percent of the twenty analytes achieved on two COBASs INTEGRA 800 instruments performed in accordance with the optimum and with the desirable specifications for bias. DISCUSSION: Patient results applied in analytical quality performance...

Stability and the proximity theorem in Casimir actuated nano devices

Science.gov (United States)

Esquivel-Sirvent, R.; Reyes, L.; Bárcenas, J.

2006-10-01

A brief description of the stability problem in micro and nano electromechanical devices (MEMS/NEMS) actuated by Casimir forces is given. To enhance the stability, we propose the use of curved surfaces and recalculate the stability conditions by means of the proximity force approximation. The use of curved surfaces changes the bifurcation point, and the radius of curvature becomes a control parameter, allowing a rescaling of the elastic restitution constant and/or of the typical dimensions of the device.

Supplemental Environmental Assessment for the Mid-Bay Bridge Connector Phases 2 and 3, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-03

D. Rodriigue;c 96 CEGICEVS PEPARTMENT OF THE AWR FORCE HEADQUARTERS 96TH AIR &ASE WING (AFMC) EGUN AJR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA 501 Deleon Stteet...Supplemental Environmental Assessment Maria D. Rodriguez 96CEG/CEVS DEPARTMENT OF THE AiR FORCE HEADQUARTERS 96Tit AIR BASE WING (I’ fMC) EGUN AIR FORCE...BASE WING (AFMC) EGUN AIR fORCE BASE, FLORIDA Historic Preservation Specialist Old Post Office Building 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 803

Force-Induced Unravelling of DNA Origami.

Science.gov (United States)

Engel, Megan C; Smith, David M; Jobst, Markus A; Sajfutdinow, Martin; Liedl, Tim; Romano, Flavio; Rovigatti, Lorenzo; Louis, Ard A; Doye, Jonathan P K

2018-05-31

The mechanical properties of DNA nanostructures are of widespread interest as applications that exploit their stability under constant or intermittent external forces become increasingly common. We explore the force response of DNA origami in comprehensive detail by combining AFM single molecule force spectroscopy experiments with simulations using oxDNA, a coarse-grained model of DNA at the nucleotide level, to study the unravelling of an iconic origami system: the Rothemund tile. We contrast the force-induced melting of the tile with simulations of an origami 10-helix bundle. Finally, we simulate a recently-proposed origami biosensor, whose function takes advantage of origami behaviour under tension. We observe characteristic stick-slip unfolding dynamics in our force-extension curves for both the Rothemund tile and the helix bundle and reasonable agreement with experimentally observed rupture forces for these systems. Our results highlight the effect of design on force response: we observe regular, modular unfolding for the Rothemund tile that contrasts with strain-softening of the 10-helix bundle which leads to catastropic failure under monotonically increasing force. Further, unravelling occurs straightforwardly from the scaffold ends inwards for the Rothemund tile, while the helix bundle unfolds more nonlinearly. The detailed visualization of the yielding events provided by simulation allows preferred pathways through the complex unfolding free-energy landscape to be mapped, as a key factor in determining relative barrier heights is the extensional release per base pair broken. We shed light on two important questions: how stable DNA nanostructures are under external forces; and what design principles can be applied to enhance stability.

Forced excitation and active control for the measurement of fluid-elastic forces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caillaud, Sebastien

1999-01-01

The action of a fluid flow on a tubes bundle is commonly decomposed into a random turbulent excitation and a fluid-elastic excitation. The fluid-elastic forces which are coupled to the tubes movement can be experimentally determined from an analysis of the vibratory response of the structure excited by turbulent forces. For low flow velocities, the turbulent excitation can be insufficient to make the tube significantly vibrate and to permit a correct vibratory analysis. On the opposite side, the structure can become unstable for high flow velocities: the fluid-elastic forces make the fluid-structure damping system fall towards zero. Two experimental methods are proposed in order to extend the considered flow rate. An additional excitation force allows to increase the tube vibration level for improving the signal-noise ratio at low velocities. When the tube is submitted to fluid-elastic instability, an artificial damping contribution by active control allows to stabilize it. Methods are implemented on a flexible tube inserted into rigid tubes bundle water and water-air transverse flows. Two actuator technologies are used: an electromagnetic exciter and piezoelectric actuators. The additional excitation method shows that the fluid-elastic forces remain insignificant at low velocity single phase flow. With the active control method, it is possible to carry out tests beyond the fluid-elastic instability. In two-phase flow, the stabilization of the structure is observed for low vacuum rates. The obtained new results are analyzed with the literature expected results in terms of fluid-elastic coupling and turbulent excitation. (author) [fr

A statistical analysis to assess the maturity and stability of six composts.

Science.gov (United States)

Komilis, Dimitrios P; Tziouvaras, Ioannis S

2009-05-01

Despite the long-time application of organic waste derived composts to crops, there is still no universally accepted index to assess compost maturity and stability. The research presented in this article investigated the suitability of seven types of seeds for use in germination bioassays to assess the maturity and phytotoxicity of six composts. The composts used in the study were derived from cow manure, sea weeds, olive pulp, poultry manure and municipal solid waste. The seeds used in the germination bioassays were radish, pepper, spinach, tomato, cress, cucumber and lettuce. Data were analyzed with an analysis of variance at two levels and with pair-wise comparisons. The analysis revealed that composts rendered as phytotoxic to one type of seed could enhance the growth of another type of seed. Therefore, germination indices, which ranged from 0% to 262%, were highly dependent on the type of seed used in the germination bioassay. The poultry manure compost was highly phytotoxic to all seeds. At the 99% confidence level, the type of seed and the interaction between the seeds and the composts were found to significantly affect germination. In addition, the stability of composts was assessed by their microbial respiration, which ranged from approximately 4 to 16g O(2)/kg organic matter and from 2.6 to approximately 11g CO(2)-C/kg C, after seven days. Initial average oxygen uptake rates were all less than approximately 0.35g O(2)/kg organic matter/h for all six composts. A high statistically significant correlation coefficient was calculated between the cumulative carbon dioxide production, over a 7-day period, and the radish seed germination index. It appears that a germination bioassay with radish can be a valid test to assess both compost stability and compost phytotoxicity.

Transient Stability Assessment of Power Systems With Uncertain Renewable Generation: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Villegas Pico, Hugo Nestor [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Aliprantis, Dionysios C. [Purdue University; Lin, Xiaojun [Purdue University

2017-08-09

The transient stability of a power system depends heavily on its operational state at the moment of a fault. In systems where the penetration of renewable generation is significant, the dispatch of the conventional fleet of synchronous generators is uncertain at the time of dynamic security analysis. Hence, the assessment of transient stability requires the solution of a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations with unknown initial conditions and inputs. To this end, we set forth a computational framework that relies on Taylor polynomials, where variables are associated with the level of renewable generation. This paper describes the details of the method and illustrates its application on a nine-bus test system.

Stabilization of emission of CO2: A computable general equilibrium assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glomsroed, S.; Vennemo, H.; Johnsen, T.

1992-01-01

A multisector computable general equilibrium model is used to study economic development perspectives in Norway if CO 2 emissions were stabilized. The effects discussed include impacts on main macroeconomic indicators and economic growth, sectoral allocation of production, and effects on the market for energy. The impact of other pollutants than CO 2 on emissions is assessed along with the related impact on noneconomic welfare. The results indicate that CO 2 emissions might be stabilized in Norway without dramatically reducing economic growth. Sectoral allocation effects are much larger. A substantial reduction in emissions to air other than CO 2 is found, yielding considerable gains in noneconomic welfare. 25 refs., 6 tabs., 2 figs

On-line transient stability assessment of large-scale power systems by using ball vector machines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammadi, M.; Gharehpetian, G.B.

2010-01-01

In this paper ball vector machine (BVM) has been used for on-line transient stability assessment of large-scale power systems. To classify the system transient security status, a BVM has been trained for all contingencies. The proposed BVM based security assessment algorithm has very small training time and space in comparison with artificial neural networks (ANN), support vector machines (SVM) and other machine learning based algorithms. In addition, the proposed algorithm has less support vectors (SV) and therefore is faster than existing algorithms for on-line applications. One of the main points, to apply a machine learning method is feature selection. In this paper, a new Decision Tree (DT) based feature selection technique has been presented. The proposed BVM based algorithm has been applied to New England 39-bus power system. The simulation results show the effectiveness and the stability of the proposed method for on-line transient stability assessment procedure of large-scale power system. The proposed feature selection algorithm has been compared with different feature selection algorithms. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed feature algorithm.

Robins Air Force Base integrated resource assessment. Volume 3, Resource assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sullivan, G.P.; Keller, J.M.; Stucky, D.J.; Wahlstrom, R.R.; Larson, L.L.

1993-10-01

The US Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) has tasked the US Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), supported by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), to identify, evaluate, and assist in acquiring all cost-effective energy projects at Robins Air Force Base (AFB). This is part of a model program that PNL is designing to support energy-use decisions in the federal sector. This report provides the results of the fossil fuel and electric energy resource opportunity (ERO) assessments performed by PNL at the AFMC Robins AFB facility located approximately 15 miles south of Macon, Georgia. It is a companion report to Volume 1, Executive Summary, and Volume 2, Baseline Detail. The results of the analyses of EROs are presented in 13 common energy end-use categories (e.g., boilers and furnaces, service hot water, and building lighting). A narrative-description of each ERO is provided, including information on the installed cost, energy and dollar savings; impacts on operation and maintenance (O&M); and, when applicable, a discussion of energy supply and demand, energy security, and environmental issues. A description of the evaluation methodologies and technical and cost assumptions is also provided for each ERO. Summary tables present the cost-effectiveness of energy end-use equipment before and after the implementation of each ERO and present the results of the life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis indicating the net present value (NPV) and savings to investment ratio (SIR) of each ERO.

ESI-MSn and LC-ESI-MS studies to characterize forced degradation products of bosentan and a validated stability-indicating LC-UV method.

Science.gov (United States)

Bansal, Gulshan; Singh, Ranjit; Saini, Balraj; Bansal, Yogita

2013-01-01

The present study reports the characterization of forced degradation products of bosentan and a validated stability-indicating HPLC method for the stability testing of bosentan tablets. The forced degradation was carried out under the conditions of hydrolysis, oxidation, dry heat and photolysis. The drug was found unstable in acid, alkali and oxidative media whereas stable to the hydrolysis in water, to dry heat and to photolysis. In total, six degradation products were formed in all conditions which were resolved in a single run on a C-18 column with gradient elution using ammonium acetate buffer (pH 4.5, 5.0mM), methanol and acetonitrile. Structures of all the degradation products were characterized through +ESI-MS(n) and LC-ESI-MS spectral data of bosentan as well as LC-ESI-MS spectral data of the products. The products II-VI were characterized as 6-amino-[2,2']bipyrimidinyl-4,5-diol, 6-amino-5-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-[2,2']-bipyrimidinyl-4-ol, 2-[6-amino-5-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-[2,2']-bipyrimidinyl-4-yloxy]-ethanol, 4-tert-butyl-N-[6-(1-methoxyethoxy)-5-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-[2,2']-bipyrimidinyl-4-yl]-benzenesulfonamide and 4-tert-butyl-N-[6-hydroxy-5-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-[2,2']bipyrimidinyl-4-yl]-benzenesulfonamide, respectively. The peak of the product I was found to be due to two secondary degradation products which co-eluted and were characterized as β-hydroxyethyl p-tert-butylphenylsulfonate (Ia) and 2-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-phenoxy]-ethanol (Ib). These products were formed due to hydrolysis of sulfonamide and alkylaryl ether and the diaryl ether linkages as well as dehydration of the primary alcohol group. The most probable degradation mechanisms were proposed. The HPLC method was found to be stability-indicating, linear (2-100 μg ml(-1)), accurate, precise, sensitive, specific, rugged and robust for quantitation of the drug. The method was applied to the stability testing of the commercially available bosentan tablets successfully. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All

Quality assessment of digested sludges produced by advanced stabilization processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Braguglia, C M; Coors, A; Gallipoli, A; Gianico, A; Guillon, E; Kunkel, U; Mascolo, G; Richter, E; Ternes, T A; Tomei, M C; Mininni, G

2015-05-01

The European Union (EU) Project Routes aimed to discover new routes in sludge stabilization treatments leading to high-quality digested sludge, suitable for land application. In order to investigate the impact of different enhanced sludge stabilization processes such as (a) thermophilic digestion integrated with thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (TT), (b) sonication before mesophilic/thermophilic digestion (UMT), and (c) sequential anaerobic/aerobic digestion (AA) on digested sludge quality, a broad class of conventional and emerging organic micropollutants as well as ecotoxicity was analyzed, extending the assessment beyond the parameters typically considered (i.e., stability index and heavy metals). The stability index was improved by adding aerobic posttreatment or by operating dual-stage process but not by pretreatment integration. Filterability was worsened by thermophilic digestion, either alone (TT) or coupled with mesophilic digestion (UMT). The concentrations of heavy metals, present in ranking order Zn > Cu > Pb > Cr ~ Ni > Cd > Hg, were always below the current legal requirements for use on land and were not removed during the processes. Removals of conventional and emerging organic pollutants were greatly enhanced by performing double-stage digestion (UMT and AA treatment) compared to a single-stage process as TT; the same trend was found as regards toxicity reduction. Overall, all the digested sludges exhibited toxicity to the soil bacterium Arthrobacter globiformis at concentrations about factor 100 higher than the usual application rate of sludge to soil in Europe. For earthworms, a safety margin of factor 30 was generally achieved for all the digested samples.

Comparative study of probabilistic methodologies for small signal stability assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rueda, J.L.; Colome, D.G. [Universidad Nacional de San Juan (IEE-UNSJ), San Juan (Argentina). Inst. de Energia Electrica], Emails: joseluisrt@iee.unsj.edu.ar, colome@iee.unsj.edu.ar

2009-07-01

Traditional deterministic approaches for small signal stability assessment (SSSA) are unable to properly reflect the existing uncertainties in real power systems. Hence, the probabilistic analysis of small signal stability (SSS) is attracting more attention by power system engineers. This paper discusses and compares two probabilistic methodologies for SSSA, which are based on the two point estimation method and the so-called Monte Carlo method, respectively. The comparisons are based on the results obtained for several power systems of different sizes and with different SSS performance. It is demonstrated that although with an analytical approach the amount of computation of probabilistic SSSA can be reduced, the different degrees of approximations that are adopted, lead to deceptive results. Conversely, Monte Carlo based probabilistic SSSA can be carried out with reasonable computational effort while holding satisfactory estimation precision. (author)

How well do force fields capture the strength of salt bridges in proteins?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustapha Carab Ahmed

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Salt bridges form between pairs of ionisable residues in close proximity and are important interactions in proteins. While salt bridges are known to be important both for protein stability, recognition and regulation, we still do not have fully accurate predictive models to assess the energetic contributions of salt bridges. Molecular dynamics simulation is one technique that may be used study the complex relationship between structure, solvation and energetics of salt bridges, but the accuracy of such simulations depends on the force field used. We have used NMR data on the B1 domain of protein G (GB1 to benchmark molecular dynamics simulations. Using enhanced sampling simulations, we calculated the free energy of forming a salt bridge for three possible lysine-carboxylate ionic interactions in GB1. The NMR experiments showed that these interactions are either not formed, or only very weakly formed, in solution. In contrast, we show that the stability of the salt bridges is overestimated, to different extents, in simulations of GB1 using seven out of eight commonly used combinations of fixed charge force fields and water models. We also find that the Amber ff15ipq force field gives rise to weaker salt bridges in good agreement with the NMR experiments. We conclude that many force fields appear to overstabilize these ionic interactions, and that further work may be needed to refine our ability to model quantitatively the stability of salt bridges through simulations. We also suggest that comparisons between NMR experiments and simulations will play a crucial role in furthering our understanding of this important interaction.

Plutonium inventories for stabilization and stabilized materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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 within 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.

Intention stability assessed using residual change scores moderates the intention-behaviour association: a prospective cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowan, Alicia A; McDermott, Máirtín S; Allen, Mark S

2017-12-01

Intention stability is considered to be one of the key pre-requisites for a strong association between intention and behaviour. It has been claimed, however, that studies examining the moderating impact of intention stability may be invalid, as they have relied on statistically inferior methods. Residual change scores have been suggested as a more appropriate method of measuring change (or lack thereof) in constructs. The aim of the current study, therefore, is to test whether intention stability, calculated using residual change scores, moderates the intention-physical activity behaviour association. A total of 163 participants (124 women, 39 men) completed questionnaires online at three time points separated by 14 day intervals. The moderating impact of intention stability was assessed using multiple linear regression followed up using simple slope analyses to identify the direction of any effect. The interaction of intention and intention stability was found to significantly improve the overall model fit. Intentions had a stronger positive association with behaviour when intentions were more stable than when they were more unstable. However, sensitivity analyses revealed that the association was not robust and reduced to non-significant with the removal of potential multivariate outliers. Future research should use residual change scores as the preferred method of assessing intention stability.

Tensor force and debye screening in quarkonium-type mesons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovacs, L.B.; Kovacs, T.G.; Lovas, I.

1990-01-01

We use a non-relativistic quantum-mechanical model to investigate the effect of a screening plasma on two quarkonium-type mesons: the charmonium and bottonium. The stability of these mesons in the plasma is estimated in two cases: including the tensor and spin-orbit term in the potential and without these terms. It turns out that while the bottonium is somewhat stabilized by the tensor force, the charmonium becomes less stabil due to this modification of the potential. Thus the charmonium seems to be a more sensitive probe of the quark-gluon plasma formation than it was thought to be without including the tensor force. (Authors)

Developing integrated performance assessment and forecasting the level of financial and economic enterprise stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khudyakova T.A.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the problem of assessing and forecasting the level of financial and economic enterprise stability through the integrated indicators development. Currently, many enterprises operate under variable external environment, which imposes a strict requirement to consider this uncertainty. For the evaluation, analysis and prediction of the sustainability of the enterprise in the conditions of crisis we believe it possible and necessary to use the apparatus of probability theory and mathematical statistics. This problem solution will improve quantitative assessing the financial and economic stability level, forecasting possible scenarios of the enterprise development and, therefore, based on the proactive management principles and adaptation processes will greatly increase their effective functioning, as well as reduce bankruptcy probability.

A rapid stability assessment of China's IGS sites after the Ms7. 0 Lushan earthquake

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meng Jie

2013-05-01

Full Text Available A rapid and accurate assessment of the stability of surveying and mapping reference points is important for post – disaster rescue, disaster relief and reconstruction activities. Using Precise Point Positioning (PPP technology, a rapid assessment of the stability of the IGS sites in China was performed after the Ms 7. 0 Lushan earthquake using rapid precise ephemeris and rapid precise satellite clock products. The results show that the earthquake had a very small impact and did not cause significant permanent deformation at the IGS sites. Most of the sites were unaffected and remained stable after the earthquake.

On the hydrodynamics of a solvent-satured lipid bilayer. 2. Stability criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisch, P.M.; Wendel, H.

1983-01-01

The semiphenomenological model introduced recently is used to investigate the role of steric forces on the dynamics of black lipid films. A linear stability analysis of hydrodynamic fluctuations for lipid films submitted to an applyed electric field is performed. By neglecting dissipation, this our analysis is concentrated on the competitive effects of electrostatic, van der Waals and steric forces. In the long wavelenght limit it is shown that the stability of the film against bending deformations is governed by the total film tension. Similarly, for periodic thickness fluctuations the stability is determined by the film elasticity. In both cases a stabilizing positive contribution is found of steric forces produced by the overlap of lipid chains at the center of the film. The stability diagram shows a region, for sufficiently small thickness, where only bending modes are unstable. (Author) [pt

Assessment of dental implant stability by means of the electromechanical impedance method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boemio, Giovanni; Rizzo, Piervincenzo; Nardo, Luigi De

2011-01-01

Implant stability is a prerequisite for functional recovery in load-bearing prostheses. Robust, reliable and noninvasive methods to assess the bone interface of dental and orthopedic implants are increasingly demanded for clinical diagnosis and direct prognosis. In this paper, a study of the feasibility of a noninvasive method based on electromechanical impedance (EMI) to assess dental prostheses stability is presented. Two different dental screws were entrenched in polyurethane foams (Sawbones ® ) and immersed in a solution of nitric acid to allow material degradation, inversely simulating a bone healing process. This process was monitored by bonding a piezoceramic transducer (PZT) to the implant and measuring the admittance of the PZT over time. It was found that the PZT's conductance and the statistical features associated with its analysis were sensitive to the degradation of the foams and can be correlated to the Sawbones mechanical properties. The present study shows promising results and may pave the road towards an innovative approach for the noninvasive monitoring of implanted prostheses

Nuclear Deterrence in South Asia - an Assessment of Deterrence and Stability in the India-Pakistan Conflict

OpenAIRE

Westh, Mark; Juel Giorgio, Maia; Wiegersma, Jakob; Madsen, Tina

2011-01-01

This paper offers a coherent assessment of the stability created by nuclear deterrence between India and Pakistan. Our examination posits the neorealist understanding of the stability created by nuclear deterrence in relation to alternative frameworks. To unfold the varying theoretical presuppositions upon which the concept of stability is based, three logically constructed analyses will be undertaken where the theories are explored in relation to empirical data. The Kargil Crisis in 1999 and...

Design of force-cooled conductors for large fusion magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dresner, L.; Lue, J.W.

1977-01-01

Conductors cooled by supercritical helium in forced convection are under active consideration for large toroidal fusion magnets. One of the central problems in designing such force cooled conductors is to maintain an adequate stability margin while keeping the pumping power tolerably low. A method has been developed for minimizing the pumping power for fixed stability by optimally choosing the matrix-to-superconductor and the metal-to-helium ratios. Such optimized conductors reduce pumping power requirements for fusion size magnets to acceptable limits. Furthermore, the mass flow and hence pumping losses can be varied through a magnet according to the local magnetic field and magnitude of desired stability margin. Force cooled conductors give flexibility in operation, permitting, for example, higher fields to be obtained than originally intended by lowering the bath temperature or increasing the pumping power or both. This flexibility is only available if the pumping power is low to begin with. Scaling laws for the pumping requirement and stability margin as functions of operating current density, number of strands and such physical parameters as stabilizer resistivity and critical current density, have been proved. Numerical examples will be given for design of conductors intended for use in large toroidal fusion magnet systems.

Design of force-cooled conductors for large fusion magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dresner, L.; Lue, J.W.

1977-01-01

Conductors cooled by supercritical helium in forced convection are under active consideration for large toroidal fusion magnets. One of the central problems in designing such force cooled conductors is to maintain an adequate stability margin while keeping the pumping power tolerably low. A method has been developed for minimizing the pumping power for fixed stability by optimally choosing the matrix-to-superconductor and the metal-to-helium ratios. Such optimized conductors reduce pumping power requirements for fusion size magnets to acceptable limits. Furthermore, the mass flow and hence pumping losses can be varied through a magnet according to the local magnetic field and magnitude of desired stability margin. Force cooled conductors give flexibility in operation, permitting, for example, higher fields to be obtained than originally intended by lowering the bath temperature or increasing the pumping power or both. This flexibility is only available if the pumping power is low to begin with. Scaling laws for the pumping requirement and stability margin as functions of operating current density, number of strands and such physical parameters as stabilizer resistivity and critical current density, have been proved. Numerical examples will be given for design of conductors intended for use in large toroidal fusion magnet systems

Objective Assessment of Laparoscopic Force and Psychomotor Skills in a Novel Virtual Reality-Based Haptic Simulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, M S Raghu; Manivannan, Muniyandi; Manoharan, Govindan; Chandramohan, S M

2016-01-01

Most of the commercially available virtual reality-based laparoscopic simulators do not effectively evaluate combined psychomotor and force-based laparoscopic skills. Consequently, the lack of training on these critical skills leads to intraoperative errors. To assess the effectiveness of the novel virtual reality-based simulator, this study analyzed the combined psychomotor (i.e., motion or movement) and force skills of residents and expert surgeons. The study also examined the effectiveness of real-time visual force feedback and tool motion during training. Bimanual fundamental (i.e., probing, pulling, sweeping, grasping, and twisting) and complex tasks (i.e., tissue dissection) were evaluated. In both tasks, visual feedback on applied force and tool motion were provided. The skills of the participants while performing the early tasks were assessed with and without visual feedback. Participants performed 5 repetitions of fundamental and complex tasks. Reaction force and instrument acceleration were used as metrics. Surgical Gastroenterology, Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital; Institute of Surgical Gastroenterology, Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. Residents (N = 25; postgraduates and surgeons with 4 and ≤10 years of laparoscopic surgery). Residents applied large forces compared with expert surgeons and performed abrupt tool movements (p < 0.001). However, visual + haptic feedback improved the performance of residents (p < 0.001). In complex tasks, visual + haptic feedback did not influence the applied force of expert surgeons, but influenced their tool motion (p < 0.001). Furthermore, in complex tissue sweeping task, expert surgeons applied more force, but were within the tissue damage limits. In both groups, exertion of large forces and abrupt tool motion were observed during grasping, probing or pulling, and tissue sweeping maneuvers (p < 0.001). Modern day curriculum-based training should evaluate the skills

Simple economical stabilizer for electromagnet field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vas'kov, O.S.; Domanevskij, D.S.; Zinkevich, Yu.V.; Soroka, E.V.; Shavel', N.N.

1988-01-01

Field stabilizer within high-power electromagnet gap at direct current up to 75 A and up to 100 V voltage in the winding is described. 15 parallel-connected KT 945A transistors, operation mode of which allows to do without radiators and forced cooling are used as controlling element of pulsed stabilizer

Wearable sensor use for assessing standing balance and walking stability in people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hubble, Ryan P; Naughton, Geraldine A; Silburn, Peter A; Cole, Michael H

2015-01-01

Postural instability and gait disability threaten the independence and well-being of people with Parkinson's disease and increase the risk of falls and fall-related injuries. Prospective research has shown that commonly-used clinical assessments of balance and walking lack the sensitivity to accurately and consistently identify those people with Parkinson's disease who are at a higher risk of falling. Wearable sensors provide a portable and affordable alternative for researchers and clinicians who are seeking to objectively assess movements and falls risk in the clinical setting. However, no consensus currently exists on the optimal placements for sensors and the best outcome measures to use for assessing standing balance and walking stability in Parkinson's disease patients. Hence, this systematic review aimed to examine the available literature to establish the best sensor types, locations and outcomes to assess standing balance and walking stability in this population. Papers listed in three electronic databases were searched by title and abstract to identify articles measuring standing balance or walking stability with any kind of wearable sensor among adults diagnosed with PD. To be eligible for inclusion, papers were required to be full-text articles published in English between January 1994 and December 2014 that assessed measures of standing balance or walking stability with wearable sensors in people with PD. Articles were excluded if they; i) did not use any form of wearable sensor to measure variables associated with standing balance or walking stability; ii) did not include a control group or control condition; iii) were an abstract and/or included in the proceedings of a conference; or iv) were a review article or case study. The targeted search of the three electronic databases identified 340 articles that were potentially eligible for inclusion, but following title, abstract and full-text review only 26 articles were deemed to meet the inclusion

Stabilizing and destabilizing forces in the nursing work environment: a qualitative study on turnover intention.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Sandy Pin-Pin; Pang, Samantha Mei-Che; Cheung, Kin; Wong, Thomas Kwok-Shing

2011-10-01

The nursing work environment, which provides the context of care delivery, has been gaining increasing attention in recent years. A growing body of evidence points to an inseparable link between attributes of the nursing work environment and nurse and patient outcomes. While most studies have adopted a survey design to examine the workforce and work environment issues, this study employed a phenomenological approach to provide empirical evidence regarding nurses' perceptions of their work and work environment. The aim of this study was to advance our understanding of the phenomenon of increasing nurse turnover through exploring frontline registered nurses' lived experiences of working in Hong Kong public hospitals. A modified version of Van Kaam's controlled explication method was adopted. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 frontline nurses recruited from ten acute regional, district and non-acute public hospitals in Hong Kong. Their perspectives in regard to their work and work environment, such as workload, manpower demand and professional values, were extensively examined, and a hypothetical description relating the nursing work environment with nurses' turnover intention was posited. Contemplation of nurses' experiences revealed the vulnerable aspects of nursing work and six essential constituents of the nursing work environment, namely staffing level, work responsibility, management, co-worker relationships, job, and professional incentives. These essential constituents have contributed to two sets of forces, stabilizing and destabilizing forces, which originate from the attributes of the nursing work environment. Nurses viewed harmonious co-worker relationships, recognition and professional development as the crucial retaining factors. However, nurses working in an unfavorable environment were overwhelmed by destabilizing forces; they expressed frustration and demonstrated an intention to leave their work environment. The nursing

On D-brane dynamics and moduli stabilization

Science.gov (United States)

Kitazawa, Noriaki

2017-09-01

We discuss the effect of the dynamics of D-branes on moduli stabilization in type IIB string theory compactifications, with reference to a concrete toy model of T6/Z 3 orientifold compactification with fractional D3-branes and anti-D3-branes at orbifold fixed points. The resulting attractive forces between anti-D3-branes and D3-branes, together with the repulsive forces between anti-D3-branes and O3-planes, can affect the stability of the compact space. There are no complex structure moduli in T6/Z 3 orientifold, which should thus capture some generic features of more general settings where all complex structure moduli are stabilized by three-form fluxes. The simultaneous presence of branes and anti-branes brings along the breaking of supersymmetry. Non-BPS combinations of this type are typical of “brane supersymmetry breaking” and are a necessary ingredient in the KKLT scenario for stabilizing the remaining Kähler moduli. The conclusion of our analysis is that, while mutual D-brane interactions sometimes help Kähler moduli stabilization, this is not always the case.

78 FR 2996 - Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-15

... Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention... Services Task Force (Task Force). The Task Force is independent and nonfederal. Its members are nationally.... The Task Force was convened in 1996 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to assess the...

77 FR 56845 - Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-14

... Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention... Services Task Force (Task Force). The Task Force is independent and nonfederal. Its members are nationally.... The Task Force was convened in 1996 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to assess the...

78 FR 27969 - Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-13

... Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention... Services Task Force (Task Force). The Task Force is independent and nonfederal. Its members are nationally.... The Task Force was convened in 1996 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to assess the...

Final Environmental Assessment for the California Space Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-02

rooted , mesophylic plant species that Chapter 3. Affected Environment Final Environmental Assessment - California Space Center, Vandenberg Air...Chapter 3. Affected Environment 3-12 Final Environmental Assessment - California Space Center, Vandenberg Air Force Base the root and debris zone of the...protruding objects, slippery soils or mud, and biological hazards including vegetation (i.e. poison oak and stinging nettle ), animals (i.e. insects

Robust Force Control of Series Elastic Actuators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Calanca

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Force-controlled series elastic actuators (SEA are widely used in novel human-robot interaction (HRI applications, such as assistive and rehabilitation robotics. These systems are characterized by the presence of the “human in the loop”, so that control response and stability depend on uncertain human dynamics, including reflexes and voluntary forces. This paper proposes a force control approach that guarantees the stability and robustness of the coupled human-robot system, based on sliding-mode control (SMC, considering the human dynamics as a disturbance to reject. We propose a chattering free solution that employs simple task models to obtain high performance, comparable with second order solutions. Theoretical stability is proven within the sliding mode framework, and predictability is reached by avoiding the reaching phase by design. Furthermore, safety is introduced by a proper design of the sliding surface. The practical feasibility of the approach is shown using an SEA prototype coupled with a human impedance in severe stress tests. To show the quality of the approach, we report a comparison with state-of-the-art second order SMC, passivity-based control and adaptive control solutions.

Development of a mobile sensor for robust assessment of river bed grain forces

Science.gov (United States)

Maniatis, G.; Hoey, T.; Sventek, J.; Hodge, R. A.

2013-12-01

The forces experienced by sediment grains at entrainment and during transport, and those exerted on river beds, are significant for the development of river systems and landscape evolution. The assessment of local grain forces has been approached using two different methodologies. The first approach uses static impact sensors at points or cross-sections to measure velocity and/or acceleration. A second approach uses mobile natural or artificial 'smart' pebbles instrumented with inertia micro-sensors for directly measuring the local forces experienced by individual grains. The two approaches have yielded significantly different magnitudes of impact forces. Static sensors (piezoelectric plates connected to accelerometers) temporally smooth the impacts from several grains and infrequently detect the higher forces (up to ×100g) generated by direct single-grain impacts. The second method is currently unable to record the full range of impacts in real rivers due to the low measurement range of the deployed inertia sensors (×3g). Laboratory applications have required only low-range accelerometers, so excluding the magnitude of natural impacts from the design criteria. Here we present the first results from the development of a mobile sensor, designed for the purpose of measuring local grain-forces in a natural riverbed. We present two sets of measurements. The first group presents the calibration of a wide range micro-accelerometer from a set of vertical drop experiments (gravitational acceleration) and further experiments on a shaking table moving with pre-defined acceleration. The second group of measurements are from incipient motion experiments performed in a 9m x0.9m flume (slope 0.001 to 0.018) under steadily increasing discharge. Initially the spherical sensor grain was placed on an artificial surface of hemispheres of identical diameter to the sensor (111mm). Incipient motion was assessed under both whole and half-diameter exposure for each slope. Subsequently

Topical gel formulation and stability assessment of platelet lysate based on turbidimetric method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soliman Mohammadi Samani

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Platelet-rich growth factors have attracted attentions of scientists and clinical practitioners who are involved in wound healing and regenerative medicine extensively, according to their unprecedented potential of promoting and catalyzing healing process. Platelet-rich growth factors are cost-benefit, available and more stable than recombinant human growth factors. These appealing characteristics have converted PRGF to one of the popular candidates for treatment of variety of wounds. According to these valuable properties, we decided to formulate and assess the effect of different excipients on the stability of such valuable protein based formulations. Different excipients have been chosen according to their effective ness on the stability of proteins and their application in other similar formulations. The stabilizing effect of excipients was evaluated by measuring heat-induced aggregation of growth factors by turbidimetric assay. Glycerol, glycine and dextrose were chosen as stabilizing excipients for these formulations. The results show that dextrose has more stabilizing effect on prevention of heat induced aggregation of the platelet lysate growth factors than glycerol and glycine. All of the formulations also contained antioxidant, chelating agents, preservative and carbopol934 in order to form appropriate gel.

14 CFR 25.173 - Static longitudinal stability.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Static longitudinal stability. 25.173... AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Flight Stability § 25.173 Static... forces (including friction) must be as follows: (a) A pull must be required to obtain and maintain speeds...

The assessing the economic stability of the agricultural organizations of the Kemerovo region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sekacheva Vera Mikhailovna

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The main aspects of the essence of economic stability analyzed in this article. The authors define the concept, the problems and the basic criteria for assessing the economic sustainability of the agricultural organizations of the Kemerovo region.

Assessing the attractive/repulsive force balance in axial cyclohexane C-Hax ···Yax contacts: A combined computational analysis in monosubstituted cyclohexanes.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva Lopez, Carlos; Nieto Faza, Olalla; De Proft, Frank; Kolocouris, Antonios

2016-11-15

The interactions of axial substituents in monosubstituted cyclohexane rings are studied in this work using an array of different computational techniques. Additionally, the anomalous axial preference for some bulky substituents is related to stabilizing dispersion interactions. We find that the C-H ax ···Y ax contacts for various substituents with distances ranging from 2 to ∼5 Å may include attractive dispersion forces that can affect the conformational equilibrium; these forces co-exist with Pauli repulsive forces effected by Y ax group due to van der Waals sphere penetration. At distances between 2 and 3 Å stabilizing electron transfer interactions were calculated and the combination of natural bond orbital and QTAIM analysis showed that, in certain cases, Y ax  =  t Bu, C ax -O or C ax  = O or S ax  = O or C ax  = S this interaction can be characterized as an improper H-bond. DFT-D3 and non-covalent interactions calculations (NCIs) in cyclohexane derivatives with Y ax  = SiOR 3 including H Yax ···H cy surfaces at distances ranging between 4 and 6 Å suggest that dispersion has a clear effect on the experimentally observed stabilization of the axial conformer. NCIs computed from the reduced density gradient help to visually identify and analyze these interactions. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Self-Described Differences Between Legs in Ballet Dancers: Do They Relate to Postural Stability and Ground Reaction Force Measures?

Science.gov (United States)

Mertz, Laura; Docherty, Carrie

2012-12-01

Ballet technique classes are designed to train dancers symmetrically, but they may actually create a lateral bias. It is unknown whether dancers in general are functionally asymmetrical, or how an individual dancer's perceived imbalance between legs might manifest itself. The purpose of this study was to examine ballet dancers' lateral preference by analyzing their postural stability and ground reaction forces in fifth position when landing from dance-specific jumps. Thirty university ballet majors volunteered to participate in this study. The subjects wore their own ballet technique shoes and performed fundamental ballet jumps out of fifth position on a force plate. The force plate recorded center of pressure (COP) and ground reaction force (GRF) data. Each subject completed a laterality questionnaire that determined his or her preferred landing leg for ballet jumps, self-identified stronger leg, and self-identified leg with better balance. All statistical comparisons were made between the leg indicated on the laterality questionnaire and the other leg (i.e., if the dancer's response to a question was "left," the comparison was made with the left leg as the "preferred" leg and the right leg as the "non-preferred leg"). No significant differences were identified between the limbs in any of the analyses conducted (all statistical comparisons produced p values > 0.05). The results of this study indicate that a dancer's preferential use of one limb over the other has no bearing on GRFs or balance ability after landing jumps in ballet. Similarly, dancers' opinions of their leg characteristics (such as one leg being stronger than the other) seem not to correlate with the dancers' actual ability to absorb GRFs or to balance when landing from ballet jumps.

The influence of physical and physiological cues on atomic force microscopy-based cell stiffness assessment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Wei Chiou

Full Text Available Atomic force microscopy provides a novel technique for differentiating the mechanical properties of various cell types. Cell elasticity is abundantly used to represent the structural strength of cells in different conditions. In this study, we are interested in whether physical or physiological cues affect cell elasticity in Atomic force microscopy (AFM-based assessments. The physical cues include the geometry of the AFM tips, the indenting force and the operating temperature of the AFM. All of these cues show a significant influence on the cell elasticity assessment. Sharp AFM tips create a two-fold increase in the value of the effective Young's modulus (E(eff relative to that of the blunt tips. Higher indenting force at the same loading rate generates higher estimated cell elasticity. Increasing the operation temperature of the AFM leads to decreases in the cell stiffness because the structure of actin filaments becomes disorganized. The physiological cues include the presence of fetal bovine serum or extracellular matrix-coated surfaces, the culture passage number, and the culture density. Both fetal bovine serum and the extracellular matrix are critical for cells to maintain the integrity of actin filaments and consequently exhibit higher elasticity. Unlike primary cells, mouse kidney progenitor cells can be passaged and maintain their morphology and elasticity for a very long period without a senescence phenotype. Finally, cell elasticity increases with increasing culture density only in MDCK epithelial cells. In summary, for researchers who use AFM to assess cell elasticity, our results provide basic and significant information about the suitable selection of physical and physiological cues.

The influence of physical and physiological cues on atomic force microscopy-based cell stiffness assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiou, Yu-Wei; Lin, Hsiu-Kuan; Tang, Ming-Jer; Lin, Hsi-Hui; Yeh, Ming-Long

2013-01-01

Atomic force microscopy provides a novel technique for differentiating the mechanical properties of various cell types. Cell elasticity is abundantly used to represent the structural strength of cells in different conditions. In this study, we are interested in whether physical or physiological cues affect cell elasticity in Atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based assessments. The physical cues include the geometry of the AFM tips, the indenting force and the operating temperature of the AFM. All of these cues show a significant influence on the cell elasticity assessment. Sharp AFM tips create a two-fold increase in the value of the effective Young's modulus (E(eff)) relative to that of the blunt tips. Higher indenting force at the same loading rate generates higher estimated cell elasticity. Increasing the operation temperature of the AFM leads to decreases in the cell stiffness because the structure of actin filaments becomes disorganized. The physiological cues include the presence of fetal bovine serum or extracellular matrix-coated surfaces, the culture passage number, and the culture density. Both fetal bovine serum and the extracellular matrix are critical for cells to maintain the integrity of actin filaments and consequently exhibit higher elasticity. Unlike primary cells, mouse kidney progenitor cells can be passaged and maintain their morphology and elasticity for a very long period without a senescence phenotype. Finally, cell elasticity increases with increasing culture density only in MDCK epithelial cells. In summary, for researchers who use AFM to assess cell elasticity, our results provide basic and significant information about the suitable selection of physical and physiological cues.

Chemical stability and in chemico reactivity of 24 fragrance ingredients of concern for skin sensitization risk assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Avonto, Cristina; Wang, Mei; Chittiboyina, Amar G; Vukmanovic, Stanislav; Khan, Ikhlas A

2018-02-01

Twenty-four pure fragrance ingredients have been identified as potential concern for skin sensitization. Several of these compounds are chemically unstable and convert into reactive species upon exposure to air or light. In the present work, a systematic investigation of the correlation between chemical stability and reactivity has been undertaken. The compounds were subjected to forced photodegradation for three months and the chemical changes were studied with GC-MS. At the end of the stability study, two-thirds of the samples were found to be unstable. The generation of chemically reactive species was investigated using the in chemico HTS-DCYA assay. Eleven and fourteen compounds were chemically reactive before and after three months, respectively. A significant increase in reactivity upon degradation was found for isoeugenol, linalool, limonene, lyral, citronellol and geraniol; in the same conditions, the reactivity of hydroxycitronellal decreased. The non-reactive compounds α-isomethyl ionone, benzyl alcohol, amyl cinnamal and farnesol became reactive after photo-oxidative degradation. Overall, forced degradation resulted in four non-reactive fragrance compounds to display in chemico thiol reactivity, while ten out of 24 compounds remained inactive. Chemical degradation does not necessarily occur with generation of reactive species. Non-chemical activation may be involved for the 10 stable unreactive compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conceptualization of preferential flow for hillslope stability assessment

Science.gov (United States)

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.

The Categorical Stability of Gambling Motives Among Community-Recruited Gamblers: A Longitudinal Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

McGrath, Daniel S; Konkolÿ Thege, Barna

2018-03-01

Over the past decade, several motivational models have been proposed to explain the role of motives in gambling disorder. In the model captured by the four-factor Gambling Motives Questionnaire Financial (GMQ-F), gamblers are described as being primarily motivated to gamble for 'coping', 'enhancement', 'social', and 'financial' reasons. Although this model has received significant empirical support; to date, research assessing the role of motives in gambling disorder has been primarily cross-sectional in nature. Thus, the extent to which gambling motives remain stable over time has yet to be explored. In the current study, the stability versus fluidity of self-assessed gambling motives was investigated using the Quinte Longitudinal Study, a longitudinal dataset of gambling behaviour collected over 5 years. Gambling motives of 2795 gamblers were examined over all five annual assessments. The total proportion of gamblers who stayed in the same primary motive category across each of the 5 consecutive assessments was 22%, indicating substantial fluidity in category membership. Substantial movement between categories was seen for each GMQ-F group, as well as an additional group of non-classified motives. Logistic regression analyses suggest that greater resistance to gambling fallacies significantly predicted stability between the baseline assessment and a follow-up 1 year later, but gambling severity did not. Potential limitations in the study design and opportunities for future research are discussed.

Assessment of trace element stabilization in soil

OpenAIRE

Kumpiene, Jurate

2005-01-01

The thesis deals with the remediation of trace element contaminated soil by the chemical stabilization technique. The objective is to complement the knowledge about possibilities of applying the stabilization either (1) as an alternate soil remediation method to excavation and landfilling or (2) for a pre-treatment of contaminated soil before landfilling. The work is based on two case studies of the stabilization of 1) Cr, Cu, As, and Zn contaminated soil using metallic iron and 2) Pb and Cu ...

Improved Thévenin equivalent methods for real-time voltage stability assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perez, Angel; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Østergaard, Jacob

2016-01-01

An improved Thévenin equivalent method for real-time voltage stability assessment that uses wide-area information from synchrophasors is proposed. The improvements are a better modeling of the limited synchronous generators, and a processing that anticipates the effect of field current limiters......, before the latter are activated. Several study cases using detailed dynamic simulations of the Nordic test system have been used to assess the performance of the proposed improvements. Their effectiveness is analyzed and, based on the results, their possible application in combination...

Stability issues in reconstitution by weapon addition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Canavan, G.H.

1997-08-01

Reconstitution of strategic forces by the unilateral uploading of additional weapons from initially symmetric modest force levels reduces first strike stability. These changes are quantified and traced to changes in first and second strike costs in a model of missile exchanges in which both strikes are optimized analytically.

The multiple roles of titin in muscle contraction and force production.

Science.gov (United States)

Herzog, Walter

2018-01-20

Titin is a filamentous protein spanning the half-sarcomere, with spring-like properties in the I-band region. Various structural, signaling, and mechanical functions have been associated with titin, but not all of these are fully elucidated and accepted in the scientific community. Here, I discuss the primary mechanical functions of titin, including its accepted role in passive force production, stabilization of half-sarcomeres and sarcomeres, and its controversial contribution to residual force enhancement, passive force enhancement, energetics, and work production in shortening muscle. Finally, I provide evidence that titin is a molecular spring whose stiffness changes with muscle activation and actin-myosin-based force production, suggesting a novel model of force production that, aside from actin and myosin, includes titin as a "third contractile" filament. Using this three-filament model of sarcomeres, the stability of (half-) sarcomeres, passive force enhancement, residual force enhancement, and the decrease in metabolic energy during and following eccentric contractions can be explained readily.

Status Report on Activities of the Systems Assessment Task Force, OECD-NEA Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuels for LWRs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon Michelle [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2015-09-01

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development /Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) Nuclear Science Committee approved the formation of an Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) for LWRs (EGATFL) in 2014. Chaired by Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, INL Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear Science and Technology, the mandate for the EGATFL defines work under three task forces: (1) Systems Assessment, (2) Cladding and Core Materials, and (3) Fuel Concepts. Scope for the Systems Assessment task force includes definition of evaluation metrics for ATF, technology readiness level definition, definition of illustrative scenarios for ATF evaluation, parametric studies, and selection of system codes. The Cladding and Core Materials and Fuel Concepts task forces will identify gaps and needs for modeling and experimental demonstration; define key properties of interest; identify the data necessary to perform concept evaluation under normal conditions and illustrative scenarios; identify available infrastructure (internationally) to support experimental needs; and make recommendations on priorities. Where possible, considering proprietary and other export restrictions (e.g., International Traffic in Arms Regulations), the Expert Group will facilitate the sharing of data and lessons learned across the international group membership. The Systems Assessment Task Force is chaired by Shannon Bragg-Sitton (INL), while the Cladding Task Force will be chaired by a representative from France (Marie Moatti, Electricite de France [EdF]) and the Fuels Task Force will be chaired by a representative from Japan (Masaki Kurata, Japan Atomic Energy Agency [JAEA]). This report provides an overview of the Systems Assessment Task Force charter and status of work accomplishment.

Wearable sensor use for assessing standing balance and walking stability in people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryan P Hubble

Full Text Available Postural instability and gait disability threaten the independence and well-being of people with Parkinson's disease and increase the risk of falls and fall-related injuries. Prospective research has shown that commonly-used clinical assessments of balance and walking lack the sensitivity to accurately and consistently identify those people with Parkinson's disease who are at a higher risk of falling. Wearable sensors provide a portable and affordable alternative for researchers and clinicians who are seeking to objectively assess movements and falls risk in the clinical setting. However, no consensus currently exists on the optimal placements for sensors and the best outcome measures to use for assessing standing balance and walking stability in Parkinson's disease patients. Hence, this systematic review aimed to examine the available literature to establish the best sensor types, locations and outcomes to assess standing balance and walking stability in this population.Papers listed in three electronic databases were searched by title and abstract to identify articles measuring standing balance or walking stability with any kind of wearable sensor among adults diagnosed with PD. To be eligible for inclusion, papers were required to be full-text articles published in English between January 1994 and December 2014 that assessed measures of standing balance or walking stability with wearable sensors in people with PD. Articles were excluded if they; i did not use any form of wearable sensor to measure variables associated with standing balance or walking stability; ii did not include a control group or control condition; iii were an abstract and/or included in the proceedings of a conference; or iv were a review article or case study. The targeted search of the three electronic databases identified 340 articles that were potentially eligible for inclusion, but following title, abstract and full-text review only 26 articles were deemed to meet the

The relations between de-alerting nuclear force and nuclear strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Zhimin

2001-01-01

De-alerting nuclear force is a hot-point issue in recent years. The relations between de-alerting and strategy (including nuclear force, target doctrine and use principle et al.), stability, advanced conventional force and NMD of the United States are analyzed, the impact of de-alerting on Chinese nuclear force were discussed and the proposal of de-alerting by stages is presented

Personality Stability from Childhood to Midlife: Relating Teachers’ Assessments in Elementary School to Observer- and Self-Ratings 40 Years Later

Science.gov (United States)

Edmonds, Grant W.; Goldberg, Lewis R.; Hampson, Sarah E.; Barckley, Maureen

2013-01-01

We report on the longitudinal stability of personality traits across an average 40 years in the Hawaii Personality and Health Cohort relating childhood teacher assessments of personality to adult self- and observer- reports. Stabilities based on self-ratings in adulthood were compared to those measured by the Structured Interview for the Five-Factor Model (SIFFM; Trull & Widiger, 1997), and trait ratings completed by interviewers. Although convergence between self-reports and observer-ratings was modest, childhood traits demonstrated similar levels of stability across methods in adulthood. Extraversion and Conscientiousness generally showed higher stabilities, whereas Neuroticism showed none. For Agreeableness and Intellect/Openness, stability was highest when assessed with observer-ratings. These findings are discussed in terms of differences in trait evaluativeness and observability across measurement methods. PMID:24039315

Essential equivalence: the objectives and requirements of a stategic nuclear policy: a perspective on the evolution of US strategic nuclear policy, and an assessment of present and emerging US strategic policy and force stucture options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, P.C.

1979-01-01

This study provides a discussion of the origins and evolution of US strategic nuclear policy, the objectives an requirements of US nuclear forces, and an assessment of present and emerging US stategic nuclear policy and force structure options. It identifies the distinctive phases of US strategic nuclear policy, the conditions of the military environments in which those policies were developed, the interaction of US-Soviet strategic force and arms control processes during these phases, and the domestic debates which have accompanied US strategic nuclear policy developments. In particular, the study focuses on the major contending views which continue to characterize the debate concerning US strategic nuclear policy. The study assesses the implications of the contending views represented in what is commonly referred to as the counterforce-countervalue debate, particularly as they relate to the perception of what constitutes a credible US deterrent posture, and the corresponding alternatives that these views bring with them for making US strategic nuclear policy and force structure decisions. The arms control process, in general, and SALT I and SALT II in particular, is discussed as an integral and dynamic component of the strategic debate, fundamentally affecting the nation's security policies. The implications of modern weapons technology, and the problems inherent in preserving strategic stability between adversary nations with asymmetries in military force structures and doctrines, are also discussed. Further, the study focuses on the question of whether or not nuclear superiority can be considered relevant under the contemporary international conditions

Toward ambulatory balance assessment: Estimating variability and stability from short bouts of gait

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Schooten, K.S.; Rispens, S.M.; Elders, P.J.M.; van Dieen, J.H.; Pijnappels, M.A.G.M.

2014-01-01

Stride-to-stride variability and local dynamic stability of gait kinematics are promising measures to identify individuals at increased risk of falling. This study aimed to explore the feasibility of using these metrics in clinical practice and ambulatory assessment, where only a small number of

Investigation of the Adaptability of Transient Stability Assessment Methods to Real-Time Operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weckesser, Johannes Tilman Gabriel; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Sommer, Stefan

2012-01-01

In this paper, an investigation of the adaptability of available transient stability assessment methods to real-time operation and their real-time performance is carried out. Two approaches based on Lyapunov’s method and the equal area criterion are analyzed. The results allow to determine...

Fiber Fabry-Perot Force Sensor with Small Volume and High Performance for Assessing Fretting Damage of Steam Generator Tubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Peijian; Wang, Ning; Li, Junying; Zhu, Yong; Zhang, Jie

2017-12-13

Measuring the radial collision force between the steam generator tube (SGT) and the tube support plate (TSP) is essential to assess the fretting damage of the SGT. In order to measure the radial collision force, a novel miniaturized force sensor based on fiber Fabry-Perot (F-P) was designed, and the principle and characteristics of the sensor were analyzed in detail. Then, the F-P force sensor was successfully fabricated and calibrated, and the overall dimensions of the encapsulated fiber F-P sensor were 17 mm × 5 mm × 3 mm (L × W × H). The sensor works well in humid, high pressure (10 MPa), high temperature (350 °C), and vibration (40 kHz) environments. Finally, the F-P force sensors were installed in a 1:1 steam generator test loop, and the radial collision force signals between the SGT and the TSP were obtained. The experiments indicated that the F-P sensor with small volume and high performance could help in assessing the fretting damage of the steam generator tubes.

Elbow joint stability in relation to forced external rotation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Deutch, S.R.; Jensen, S.L.; Olsen, B.S.

2003-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the osseous constraint related to forced forearm external rotation as the initial stage in a posterior elbow dislocation. Six joint specimens without soft tissues were examined in a joint analysis system developed for simulation of dislocation. The osse......The objective of this study was to evaluate the osseous constraint related to forced forearm external rotation as the initial stage in a posterior elbow dislocation. Six joint specimens without soft tissues were examined in a joint analysis system developed for simulation of dislocation...... external forearm rotation until the point of maximal torque decreased from a maximum in full extension to a minimum at 30 degrees of elbow flexion (P =.03). The elbow in a slightly flexed position, varus stress, and forearm external rotation trauma might be the important biomechanical factors...

Status Report on Activities of the Systems Assessment Task Force, OECD-NEA Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuels for LWRs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon Michelle [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2016-09-01

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development /Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) Nuclear Science Committee approved the formation of an Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) for LWRs (EGATFL) in 2014. Chaired by Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, INL Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear Science and Technology, the mandate for the EGATFL defines work under three task forces: (1) Systems Assessment, (2) Cladding and Core Materials, and (3) Fuel Concepts. Scope for the Systems Assessment task force (TF1) includes definition of evaluation metrics for ATF, technology readiness level definition, definition of illustrative scenarios for ATF evaluation, and identification of fuel performance and system codes applicable to ATF evaluation. The Cladding and Core Materials (TF2) and Fuel Concepts (TF3) task forces will identify gaps and needs for modeling and experimental demonstration; define key properties of interest; identify the data necessary to perform concept evaluation under normal conditions and illustrative scenarios; identify available infrastructure (internationally) to support experimental needs; and make recommendations on priorities. Where possible, considering proprietary and other export restrictions (e.g., International Traffic in Arms Regulations), the Expert Group will facilitate the sharing of data and lessons learned across the international group membership. The Systems Assessment task force is chaired by Shannon Bragg-Sitton (Idaho National Laboratory [INL], U.S.), the Cladding Task Force is chaired by Marie Moatti (Electricite de France [EdF], France), and the Fuels Task Force is chaired by a Masaki Kurata (Japan Atomic Energy Agency [JAEA], Japan). The original Expert Group mandate was established for June 2014 to June 2016. In April 2016 the Expert Group voted to extend the mandate one additional year to June 2017 in order to complete the task force deliverables; this request was subsequently approved by the Nuclear Science Committee. This

Status Report on Activities of the Systems Assessment Task Force, OECD-NEA Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuels for LWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon Michelle

2016-01-01

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development /Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) Nuclear Science Committee approved the formation of an Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) for LWRs (EGATFL) in 2014. Chaired by Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, INL Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear Science and Technology, the mandate for the EGATFL defines work under three task forces: (1) Systems Assessment, (2) Cladding and Core Materials, and (3) Fuel Concepts. Scope for the Systems Assessment task force (TF1) includes definition of evaluation metrics for ATF, technology readiness level definition, definition of illustrative scenarios for ATF evaluation, and identification of fuel performance and system codes applicable to ATF evaluation. The Cladding and Core Materials (TF2) and Fuel Concepts (TF3) task forces will identify gaps and needs for modeling and experimental demonstration; define key properties of interest; identify the data necessary to perform concept evaluation under normal conditions and illustrative scenarios; identify available infrastructure (internationally) to support experimental needs; and make recommendations on priorities. Where possible, considering proprietary and other export restrictions (e.g., International Traffic in Arms Regulations), the Expert Group will facilitate the sharing of data and lessons learned across the international group membership. The Systems Assessment task force is chaired by Shannon Bragg-Sitton (Idaho National Laboratory [INL], U.S.), the Cladding Task Force is chaired by Marie Moatti (Electricite de France [EdF], France), and the Fuels Task Force is chaired by a Masaki Kurata (Japan Atomic Energy Agency [JAEA], Japan). The original Expert Group mandate was established for June 2014 to June 2016. In April 2016 the Expert Group voted to extend the mandate one additional year to June 2017 in order to complete the task force deliverables; this request was subsequently approved by the Nuclear Science Committee. This

Assessing the quality of force feedback in soft tissue simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Basafa, Ehsan; Sefati, Shahin; Okamura, Allison M

2011-01-01

Many types of deformable models have been proposed for simulation of soft tissue in surgical simulators, but their realism in comparison to actual tissue is rarely assessed. In this paper, a nonlinear mass-spring model is used for realtime simulation of deformable soft tissues and providing force feedback to a human operator. Force-deformation curves of real soft tissue samples were obtained experimentally, and the model was tuned accordingly. To test the realism of the model, we conducted two human-user experiments involving palpation with a rigid probe. First, in a discrimination test, users identified the correct category of real and virtual tissue better than chance, and tended to identify the tissues as real more often than virtual. Second, users identified real and virtual tissues by name, after training on only real tissues. The sorting accuracy was the same for both real and virtual tissues. These results indicate that, despite model limitations, the simulation could convey the feel of touching real tissues. This evaluation approach could be used to compare and validate various soft-tissue simulators.

A comparative assessment of forces and moments generated by lingual and conventional brackets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sifakakis, I.; Pandis, N.; Makou, M.; Katsaros, C.; Eliades, T.; Bourauel, C.

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of bracket type on the labiopalatal forces and moments generated in the sagittal plane. Incognito lingual brackets (3M Unitek), STb lingual brackets (Light Lingual System; ORMCO), and conventional 0.018 inch slot brackets (Gemini; 3M Unitek) were bonded

Charge-Transfer Complexes Studied by Dynamic Force Spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jurriaan Huskens

2013-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the strength and kinetics of two charge-transfer complexes, naphthol-methylviologen and pyrene-methylviologen, are studied using dynamic force spectroscopy. The dissociation rates indicate an enhanced stability of the pyrene-methylviologen complex, which agrees with its higher thermodynamic stability compared to naphthol-methylviologen complex.

Consistency and Stability of Italian Children's Spelling in Dictation versus Composition Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Bigozzi, Lucia; Tarchi, Christian; Pinto, Giuliana

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate consistency in spelling skills across 2 different tasks of written production (dictation vs. composition) and stability of performance across 4 different grades. We assessed 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders' spelling performance through 4 tasks: 2 dictation tasks (passage and sentences) and 2 composition…

Primary stability and self-tapping blades: biomechanical assessment of dental implants in medium-density bone.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yung-Soo; Lim, Young-Jun

2011-10-01

The aim of this biomechanical study was to assess the influence of self-tapping blades in terms of primary implant stability between implants with self-tapping blades and implants without self-tapping blades using five different analytic methods, especially in medium-density bone. Two different types of dental implants (4 × 10 mm) were tested: self-tapping and non-self-tapping. The fixture design including thread profiles was exactly the same between the two groups; the only difference was the presence of cutting blades on one half of the apical portion of the implant body. Solid rigid polyurethane blocks with corresponding densities were selected to simulate medium-density bone. Five mechanical assessments (insertion torque, resonance frequency analysis [RFA], reverse torque, pull-out and push in test) were performed for primary stability. Implants without self-tapping blades showed significantly higher values (P0.05). The outcomes of the present study indicate that the implant body design without self-tapping blades has a good primary stability compared with that with self-tapping blades in medium-density bone. Considering the RFA, a distinct layer of cortical bone on marginal bone will yield implant stability quotient values similar to those in medium-bone density when implants have the same diameter. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Muscular condition and trunk stability in judoka of national and international level

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Casto Juan-Recio

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Background: It is theorized that the development of the ability to stabilize the trunk may improve the performance of a judoka because it improves body balance control and optimizes force transmission from the lower extremities to the upper limbs. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence to establish a clear relationship between trunk stability and performance in judo.Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the quantification of trunk stability and muscular strength and endurance allowed differentiation between national level (n = 7 and international level judoka (n = 6. In addition, the relationship between trunk stability and muscular strength and endurance of the muscles involved in trunk stability control was analyzed.Method: To assess trunk stability, trunk responses to sudden loads applied by a pneumatic mechanism were analyzed, as well as trunk postural control through an unstable sitting paradigm. Muscular strength and endurance were assessed via a flexion and extension trunk test using an isokinetic dynamometer.Results/Conclusions: International level judokas showed lower CoP displacement in the most complex task in unstable seat (7.00 ± 1.19 vs 8.93 ± 1.45 mm, T = .025 and higher absolute and relative peak torque in extensor muscles (7.05 ± 0.87 vs 5.74 ± 0.72 Nm, T = .013 than national level judoka. According to these results, core stability and trunk muscular condition are important qualities in the physical training of elite judoka. Correlational analysis found no relation between the analyzed variables, thus muscular strength and endurance appear to have a non-significant effect on performance in the trunk stability tests.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duclos Cyril

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract 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

Application of a high-throughput relative chemical stability assay to screen therapeutic protein formulations by assessment of conformational stability and correlation to aggregation propensity.

Science.gov (United States)

Rizzo, Joseph M; Shi, Shuai; Li, Yunsong; Semple, Andrew; Esposito, Jessica J; Yu, Shenjiang; Richardson, Daisy; Antochshuk, Valentyn; Shameem, Mohammed

2015-05-01

In this study, an automated high-throughput relative chemical stability (RCS) assay was developed in which various therapeutic proteins were assessed to determine stability based on the resistance to denaturation post introduction to a chaotrope titration. Detection mechanisms of both intrinsic fluorescence and near UV circular dichroism (near-UV CD) are demonstrated. Assay robustness was investigated by comparing multiple independent assays and achieving r(2) values >0.95 for curve overlays. The complete reversibility of the assay was demonstrated by intrinsic fluorescence, near-UV CD, and biologic potency. To highlight the method utility, we compared the RCS assay with differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic scanning fluorimetry methodologies. Utilizing C1/2 values obtained from the RCS assay, formulation rank-ordering of 12 different mAb formulations was performed. The prediction of long-term stability on protein aggregation is obtained by demonstrating a good correlation with an r(2) of 0.83 between RCS and empirical aggregation propensity data. RCS promises to be an extremely useful tool to aid in candidate formulation development efforts based on the complete reversibility of the method to allow for multiple assessments without protein loss and the strong correlation between the C1/2 data obtained and accelerated stability under stressed conditions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Atomic force microscopy and force spectroscopy on the assessment of protein folding and functionality.

Science.gov (United States)

Carvalho, Filomena A; Martins, Ivo C; Santos, Nuno C

2013-03-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) applied to biological systems can, besides generating high-quality and well-resolved images, be employed to study protein folding via AFM-based force spectroscopy. This approach allowed remarkable advances in the measurement of inter- and intramolecular interaction forces with piconewton resolution. The detection of specific interaction forces between molecules based on the AFM sensitivity and the manipulation of individual molecules greatly advanced the understanding of intra-protein and protein-ligand interactions. Apart from the academic interest in the resolution of basic scientific questions, this technique has also key importance on the clarification of several biological questions of immediate biomedical relevance. Force spectroscopy is an especially appropriate technique for "mechanical proteins" that can provide crucial information on single protein molecules and/or domains. Importantly, it also has the potential of combining in a single experiment spatial and kinetic measurements. Here, the main principles of this methodology are described, after which the ability to measure interactions at the single-molecule level is discussed, in the context of relevant protein-folding examples. We intend to demonstrate the potential of AFM-based force spectroscopy in the study of protein folding, especially since this technique is able to circumvent some of the difficulties typically encountered in classical thermal/chemical denaturation studies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Macroeconomic Stability and Its Impact on the Economic Growth of the Country

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatiana Vasylieva

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of this research is to study the role and impact force of macroeconomic stability on economic growth in the period from 2000 to 2016, using the modified Cobb–Douglas production function. The results of Global Competitiveness Report, published by World Economic Forum, demonstrated that at the existing level of economic growth in Ukraine the basic drivers for improvement of the country's competitiveness are necessary to be considered for building of the production function. Basing on the analysis performed, the author created odified Cobb–Douglas production function where Macroeconomic stability, openness of the economy and foreign direct investments are used as additional explanatory variables of Cobb–Douglas production function. Obtained findings indicate the high level of compliance of the built model with the initial data. Herewith, the assessment of the elasticity of macroeconomic stability is positive and statistically significant.

Quantitative modeling assesses the contribution of bond strengthening, rebinding and force sharing to the avidity of biomolecule interactions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentina Lo Schiavo

Full Text Available Cell adhesion is mediated by numerous membrane receptors. It is desirable to derive the outcome of a cell-surface encounter from the molecular properties of interacting receptors and ligands. However, conventional parameters such as affinity or kinetic constants are often insufficient to account for receptor efficiency. Avidity is a qualitative concept frequently used to describe biomolecule interactions: this includes incompletely defined properties such as the capacity to form multivalent attachments. The aim of this study is to produce a working description of monovalent attachments formed by a model system, then to measure and interpret the behavior of divalent attachments under force. We investigated attachments between antibody-coated microspheres and surfaces coated with sparse monomeric or dimeric ligands. When bonds were subjected to a pulling force, they exhibited both a force-dependent dissociation consistent with Bell's empirical formula and a force- and time-dependent strengthening well described by a single parameter. Divalent attachments were stronger and less dependent on forces than monovalent ones. The proportion of divalent attachments resisting a force of 30 piconewtons for at least 5 s was 3.7 fold higher than that of monovalent attachments. Quantitative modeling showed that this required rebinding, i.e. additional bond formation between surfaces linked by divalent receptors forming only one bond. Further, experimental data were compatible with but did not require stress sharing between bonds within divalent attachments. Thus many ligand-receptor interactions do not behave as single-step reactions in the millisecond to second timescale. Rather, they exhibit progressive stabilization. This explains the high efficiency of multimerized or clustered receptors even when bonds are only subjected to moderate forces. Our approach provides a quantitative way of relating binding avidity to measurable parameters including bond

Quantitative Modeling Assesses the Contribution of Bond Strengthening, Rebinding and Force Sharing to the Avidity of Biomolecule Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Lo Schiavo, Valentina; Robert, Philippe; Limozin, Laurent; Bongrand, Pierre

2012-01-01

Cell adhesion is mediated by numerous membrane receptors. It is desirable to derive the outcome of a cell-surface encounter from the molecular properties of interacting receptors and ligands. However, conventional parameters such as affinity or kinetic constants are often insufficient to account for receptor efficiency. Avidity is a qualitative concept frequently used to describe biomolecule interactions: this includes incompletely defined properties such as the capacity to form multivalent attachments. The aim of this study is to produce a working description of monovalent attachments formed by a model system, then to measure and interpret the behavior of divalent attachments under force. We investigated attachments between antibody-coated microspheres and surfaces coated with sparse monomeric or dimeric ligands. When bonds were subjected to a pulling force, they exhibited both a force-dependent dissociation consistent with Bell’s empirical formula and a force- and time-dependent strengthening well described by a single parameter. Divalent attachments were stronger and less dependent on forces than monovalent ones. The proportion of divalent attachments resisting a force of 30 piconewtons for at least 5 s was 3.7 fold higher than that of monovalent attachments. Quantitative modeling showed that this required rebinding, i.e. additional bond formation between surfaces linked by divalent receptors forming only one bond. Further, experimental data were compatible with but did not require stress sharing between bonds within divalent attachments. Thus many ligand-receptor interactions do not behave as single-step reactions in the millisecond to second timescale. Rather, they exhibit progressive stabilization. This explains the high efficiency of multimerized or clustered receptors even when bonds are only subjected to moderate forces. Our approach provides a quantitative way of relating binding avidity to measurable parameters including bond maturation, rebinding and

IDEAL BRAKE FORCE DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN THE AXLES OF THE TWO-AXLE VEHICLE SERVICE BRAKE APPLICATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Podryhalo

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The obtained analytical expressions allow us to evaluate the stability of two-axle vehicles at various slowdowns. An analytical expression for calculating the ideal according to condition stability ensuring of a two-axle vehicle at service brake applications of brake force distribution allows to offer automatic control devices for brake force adjucement. With decellerationg growth of the two-axle vehicle at service braking the braking force acting on the front axle should decrease relative to the brake force on the rear axle.

Path stability of a crack with an eigenstrain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beom, Hyeon Gyu; Kim, Yu Hwan; Cho, Chong Du; Kim, Chang Boo

2006-01-01

A slightly curved crack with an eigenstrain is considered. Solutions for a slightly curved crack in a linear isotropic material under asymptotic loading as well as for a slightly curved crack in a linear isotropic material with a concentrated force are obtained from perturbation analyses, which are accurate to the first order of the parameter representing the non-straightness. Stress intensity factors for a slightly curved crack with an eigenstrain are obtained from the perturbation solutions by using a body force analogy. Particular attention is given to the crack path stability under mode I loading. A new parameter of crack path stability is proposed for a crack with an eigenstrain. The path stability of a crack with steady state growth in a transforming material and a ferroelectric material is examined

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station integrated resource assessment. Volume 3, Resource assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sandusky, W.F.; Eichman, C.J.; King, D.A.; McMordie, K.L.; Parker, S.A.; Shankle, S.A.; Wahlstrom, R.R.

1994-03-01

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has tasked the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), to identify, evaluate, and assist in acquiring all cost-effective energy projects at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (AFS). Projects considered can be either in the form of energy management or energy conservation. The overall efforts of this task are based on a model program PNL is designing to support energy-use decisions in the federal sector. This report provides the results of the fossil fuel and electric energy resource opportunity (ERO) assessments performed by PNL at Cape Canaveral AFS, which is located approximately 10 miles north of Cocoa Beach, Florida. It is a companion report to Volume 1: Executive Summary and Volume 2: Baseline Detail. The results of the analyses of EROs are presented in 11 common energy end-use categories (e.g., boilers and furnaces, service hot water, and building lighting). A narrative description of each ERO is provided, including information on the installed cost, energy and dollar savings, impacts on operations and maintenance (O&M), and, when applicable, a discussion of energy supply and demand, energy security, and environmental issues. Descriptions of the evaluation methodologies and technical and cost assumptions are also provided for each ERO. Summary tables present the cost- effectiveness of energy end-use equipment before and after the implementation of each ERO and present the results of the life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis, indicating the net present value (NPV) and savings-to-investment ratio (SIR) of each ERO.

Wearable Sensor Use for Assessing Standing Balance and Walking Stability in People with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review

Science.gov (United States)

Hubble, Ryan P.; Naughton, Geraldine A.; Silburn, Peter A.; Cole, Michael H.

2015-01-01

Background Postural instability and gait disability threaten the independence and well-being of people with Parkinson’s disease and increase the risk of falls and fall-related injuries. Prospective research has shown that commonly-used clinical assessments of balance and walking lack the sensitivity to accurately and consistently identify those people with Parkinson’s disease who are at a higher risk of falling. Wearable sensors provide a portable and affordable alternative for researchers and clinicians who are seeking to objectively assess movements and falls risk in the clinical setting. However, no consensus currently exists on the optimal placements for sensors and the best outcome measures to use for assessing standing balance and walking stability in Parkinson’s disease patients. Hence, this systematic review aimed to examine the available literature to establish the best sensor types, locations and outcomes to assess standing balance and walking stability in this population. Methods Papers listed in three electronic databases were searched by title and abstract to identify articles measuring standing balance or walking stability with any kind of wearable sensor among adults diagnosed with PD. To be eligible for inclusion, papers were required to be full-text articles published in English between January 1994 and December 2014 that assessed measures of standing balance or walking stability with wearable sensors in people with PD. Articles were excluded if they; i) did not use any form of wearable sensor to measure variables associated with standing balance or walking stability; ii) did not include a control group or control condition; iii) were an abstract and/or included in the proceedings of a conference; or iv) were a review article or case study. The targeted search of the three electronic databases identified 340 articles that were potentially eligible for inclusion, but following title, abstract and full-text review only 26 articles were deemed

Vandenberg Air Force Base integrated resource assessment. Volume 3, Resource assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daellenbach, K.K.; Dagle, J.E.; Dittmer, A.L.; Elliott, D.B.; Halverson, M.A.; Hickman, B.J.; Parker, G.B.; Richman, E.E.; Shankle, S.A.

1993-06-01

The US Air Force Space Command (SPACECOM) has tasked the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), as the lead laboratory supporting the US Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), to identify, evaluate, and assist in acquiring all cost-effective energy projects at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB). This is part of a model program that PNL is designing to support energy-use decisions in the federal sector. This report provides the results of the fossil fuel and electric energy resource opportunity (ERO) assessments performed by PNL at the SPACECOM VAFB facility located approximately 50 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, California. It is a companion report to Volume 1, Executive Summary, and Volume 2, Baseline Detail. The results of the analysis of EROs are presented in ten common energy end-use categories (e.g., boilers and furnaces, service hot water, and building lighting). In addition, a case study of process loads at Space Launch Complex-4 (SLC-4) is included. A narrative description of each ERO is provided, including information on the installed cost, energy and dollar savings; impacts on operation and maintenance (O and M); and, when applicable, a discussion of energy supply and demand, energy security, and environmental issues. A description of the evaluation methodologies and technical and cost assumptions is also provided for each ERO. Summary tables present the cost-effectiveness of energy end-use equipment before and after the implementation of each ERO and present the results of the life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis indicating the net present value (NPV) and value index (VI) of each ERO. Finally, an appendix includes a summary of an economic analysis case study of the South Vandenberg Power Plant (SVPP) operating scenarios.

Assessment of Slope Stability of Various Cut Slopes with Effects of Weathering by Using Slope Stability Probability Classification (SSPC)

Science.gov (United States)

Ersöz, Timur; Topal, Tamer

2017-04-01

Rocks containing pore spaces, fractures, joints, bedding planes and faults are prone to weathering due to temperature differences, wetting-drying, chemistry of solutions absorbed, and other physical and chemical agents. Especially cut slopes are very sensitive to weathering activities because of disturbed rock mass and topographical condition by excavation. During and right after an excavation process of a cut slope, weathering and erosion may act on this newly exposed rock material. These acting on the material may degrade and change its properties and the stability of the cut slope in its engineering lifetime. In this study, the effect of physical and chemical weathering agents on shear strength parameters of the rocks are investigated in order to observe the differences between weathered and unweathered rocks. Also, slope stability assessment of cut slopes affected by these weathering agents which may disturb the parameters like strength, cohesion, internal friction angle, unit weight, water absorption and porosity are studied. In order to compare the condition of the rock materials and analyze the slope stability, the parameters of weathered and fresh rock materials are found with in-situ tests such as Schmidt hammer and laboratory tests like uniaxial compressive strength, point load and direct shear. Moreover, slake durability and methylene blue tests are applied to investigate the response of the rock to weathering and presence of clays in rock materials, respectively. In addition to these studies, both rock strength parameters and any kind of failure mechanism are determined by probabilistic approach with the help of SSPC system. With these observations, the performances of the weathered and fresh zones of the cut slopes are evaluated and 2-D slope stability analysis are modeled with further recommendations for the cut slopes. Keywords: 2-D Modeling, Rock Strength, Slope Stability, SSPC, Weathering

Development of a hardware-based AC microgrid for AC stability assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, Robert R.

As more power electronic-based devices enable the development of high-bandwidth AC microgrids, the topic of microgrid power distribution stability has become of increased interest. Recently, researchers have proposed a relatively straightforward method to assess the stability of AC systems based upon the time-constants of sources, the net bus capacitance, and the rate limits of sources. In this research, a focus has been to develop a hardware test system to evaluate AC system stability. As a first step, a time domain model of a two converter microgrid was established in which a three phase inverter acts as a power source and an active rectifier serves as an adjustable constant power AC load. The constant power load can be utilized to create rapid power flow transients to the generating system. As a second step, the inverter and active rectifier were designed using a Smart Power Module IGBT for switching and an embedded microcontroller as a processor for algorithm implementation. The inverter and active rectifier were designed to operate simultaneously using a synchronization signal to ensure each respective local controller operates in a common reference frame. Finally, the physical system was created and initial testing performed to validate the hardware functionality as a variable amplitude and variable frequency AC system.

Captopril 25 mg tablets stability assessment in different primary packing materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flávia Costa Mendes Paiva

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Packaging is used to provide protection and information, from the production to the administration of a formulation. It is essential to define the primary packaging, for keeping the therapeutic efficacy of drugs, safety of users and for protecting drugs from instability. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to assess the stability of captopril 25 mg tablets in different primary packaging materials. Method: The characterization (IR, DSC and physical tests of the packaging materials used for captopril was carried out prior to the manufacture of tablets. Tablets were also characterized by physical-chemical analysis, comparative dissolution profile and stability studies. Results: The characterization of packaging materials was crucial for understanding the behavior of captopril when packed in each material. Materials with significant barrier, as blisters PVC/PVdC 90 g.m-² and hard aluminum and PVC/PE/PVdC and hard aluminum showed satisfactory results in a second stage, S2. On the contrary, lower barrier materials as blisters PVC/PVdC 40 g.m-² and hard aluminum did not present dissolution analysis S2. Conclusions: The aluminum strip presented the best results. And the batch in glass bottle, although packaged in excellent material, was disapproved in accelerated stability.

Guidelines for Computing Longitudinal Dynamic Stability Characteristics of a Subsonic Transport

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Joseph R.; Frank, Neal T.; Murphy, Patrick C.

2010-01-01

A systematic study is presented to guide the selection of a numerical solution strategy for URANS computation of a subsonic transport configuration undergoing simulated forced oscillation about its pitch axis. Forced oscillation is central to the prevalent wind tunnel methodology for quantifying aircraft dynamic stability derivatives from force and moment coefficients, which is the ultimate goal for the computational simulations. Extensive computations are performed that lead in key insights of the critical numerical parameters affecting solution convergence. A preliminary linear harmonic analysis is included to demonstrate the potential of extracting dynamic stability derivatives from computational solutions.

Evaluating plyometric exercises using time to stabilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Ebben, William P; Vanderzanden, Tyler; Wurm, Bradley J; Petushek, Erich J

2010-02-01

Plyometric exercises are frequently used in strength and conditioning and rehabilitation programs because the landing phase of these exercises requires dynamic stabilization. This study examined the differences in landing stability of a variety of plyometric exercises by assessing time to stabilization (TTS), its reliability, and sex differences therein. Forty-nine men and women performed a variety of plyometric exercises thought to represent a continuum of difficulty of dynamic stabilization during landing. Plyometric exercises included line hops, cone hops, squat jumps, tuck jumps, countermovement jumps, dumbbell countermovement jumps, and single leg countermovement jumps, each performed for 3 repetitions on a force platform. A 2-way mixed analysis of covariance with repeated measures for plyometric exercise type was used to evaluate the main effects for plyometric exercise type and the interaction between plyometric exercise type and sex for TTS. Subject jumping ability was evaluated as a covariate. Results revealed significant main effects for plyometric exercise type (p plyometric exercise type and sex (p = 0.002). Bonferroni adjusted post hoc analysis demonstrated differences in TTS between a number of plyometric exercises for men and women. Reliability analysis revealed intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.51 to 0.86 with no significant difference between trials (p > 0.05). Practitioners who use plyometrics to train dynamic stability should create programs that progress the intensity of the exercises based on the results of this study. This study also demonstrated that TTS is moderately to highly reliable for a variety of jumping conditions for both men and women.

Assessment of effect of SSSC stabilizer in different control channels on damping inter-area oscillations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shakarami, M.R., E-mail: shakarami@iust.ac.i [Centre of Excellence for Power System Automation and Operation, Department of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Narmak, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Kazemi, A. [Centre of Excellence for Power System Automation and Operation, Department of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Narmak, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2011-03-15

A static synchronous series compensator (SSSC) is one of the series flexible ac transmission system (FACTS) devices that injects a balanced three-phase voltage in quadrature with the transmission line current. There are two channels for controlling of phase and magnitude of the voltage. When the SSSC is used for damping of inter-area oscillations, a SSSC-based stabilizer can be included in both channels. In this paper, the best location and suitable input control signal for SSSC in order to enhance the damping of inter-area oscillations are selected by residue analysis. A method by quadratic mathematic programming has been presented to the design of the stabilizer. By this method, the effect of the stabilizer in both control channels of the SSSC on damping of inter-area oscillations has been assessed. By considering the gain of stabilizer as a criterion, obtained results from studying on a small and a large multi-machine power system show that the stabilizer in the phase control channel is more effective for damping inter-are oscillations.

Static Response of Microbeams due to Capillary and Electrostatic Forces

KAUST Repository

Bataineh, Ahmad M.

2016-03-07

Micro-sensors or micro-switches usually operate under the effect of electrostatic force and could face some environmental effects like humidity, which may lead to condensation underneath the beams and create strong capillary forces. Those tiny structures are principally made of microbeams that can undergo instabilities under the effect of those created huge capillary forces. In fact, during the fabrication of microbeams, there is an important step to separate the beam from its substrate (wet etching). After this step, the microstructure is dried, which may causes the onset of some droplets of water trapped underneath the beam that could bring about a huge capillary force pulling it toward its substrate. If this force is bigger than the microbeam\\'s restoring force, it will become stuck to the substrate. This paper investigates the instability scenarios of both clamped-clamped (straight and curved) and cantilever (straight and curled) microbeams under the effect of capillary and/or electrostatic forces. The reduced order modeling (ROM) based on the Galerkin procedure is used to solve the nonlinear beam equations. The non-ideal boundaries are modeled by adding springs. The volume of the fluid between the beam and the substrate underneath it is varied and the relation between the volume of the water and the stability of the beam is shown. An analysis for the factors of which should be taken in to consideration in the fabrication processes to overcome the instability due to huge capillary forces is done. Also the size of the electrode for the electrostatic force is varied to show the effect on the micro-switch stability. A variation of the pull-in voltage with some specific beam parameters and with more than one case of electrode size is shown. It is found that capillary forces have a pronounced effect on the stability of microbeams. It is also found that the pull-in length decreases as the electrode size increases. It is also shown that the pull-in voltage decreases

An Experimental Study of the Cutting Forces in Metal Turning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zoltan Iosif Korka

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Cutting forces are classified among the most important technological parameters in machining process. Cutting forces are the background for the evaluation of the necessary machining power, as well as for dimensioning of the tools. Cutting forces are also having a major influence on the deformation of the work piece machined, its dimensional accuracy, and machining system stability.

Investigation on forces in frictional kinematic pairs to assess their influence on shock absorber characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janusz GARDULSKI

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In telescopic shock absorbers there are two kinematic pairs where dry,semi-dry or fluid friction is most likely to occur. Higher values of friction forces are noted in piston rod-slideway pair due to its sealing function and consequently worse lubricating conditions. The aim of the tests was to assess the influence of forces occurring in frictional kinematic pairs on damping characteristics of shock absorbers. The tests were performed on new and fluid-free shock absorbers for various working strokes and various extortion frequencies.

Testing of Method for Assessing of Room Thermal Stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charvátová Hana

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the interim results of our research on the developing methodological procedure which could be used for assessment of a thermal stability of buildings with regards to its thermal accumulative parameters. The principle of testing is based on a combination of computer simulation of cooled room model developed in COMSOL Multiphysics software and on theoretical calculations with respect to compliance with valid European and Czech technical standards used in building industry and architecture under conditions obtained by real measurement for the room to be tested. The presented example shows the effect of the heataccumulation properties of the outside wall insulation materials on the course of the cooling room for winter conditions.

EFFECTS OF THE BACK-FILLING TO THE STABILITY OF A CAISSON

Science.gov (United States)

Kikuchi, Yoshiaki; Shinsha, Hiroshi; Kawamura, Kensuke; Eguchi, Shinya

The back-filling improves the stability of a caisson used for breakwater against wave force. But, the extent of the improvement of the stability is affected by the interaction among the back-filling and the caisson and the foundation. A series of the model loading experiments was carried out to clarify the effects of the interaction to the stability. In this series of experiments, horizontal static load was applied to the model caisson having back-filling. Sliding failure surface was estimated from the deformation of rubble mound and back-filling. Passive earth pressure by back-filling calculated by wedge theory was compared with the experimental results. New stability evaluation method considering circular arc failure mode was developed and evaluated its validity. Followings are main conclusions in this research; 1) Increment of stability of a caisson against wave force can be estimated from wedge theory. 2) Both sliding and bearing capacity stability were considered in one time using newly developed evaluation method considering circular arc failure mode.

Online Voltage Stability Assessment for Load Areas Based on the Holomorphic Embedding Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Chengxi; Wang, Bin; Hu, Fengkai

2018-01-01

This paper proposes an online steady-state voltage stability assessment scheme to evaluate the proximity to voltage collapse at each bus of a load area. Using a non-iterative holomorphic embedding method (HEM) with a proposed physical germ solution, an accurate loading limit at each load bus can...... be calculated based on online state estimation on the entire load area and a measurement-based equivalent for the external system. The HEM employs a power series to calculate an accurate Power-Voltage (P-V) curve at each load bus and accordingly evaluates the voltage stability margin considering load variations...... and then demonstrated on a load area of the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC) 48-generator, 140-bus power system....

Improvement of Sidestream Dark Field Imaging with an Image Acquisition Stabilizer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sjauw Krishan D

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the present study we developed, evaluated in volunteers, and clinically validated an image acquisition stabilizer (IAS for Sidestream Dark Field (SDF imaging. Methods The IAS is a stainless steel sterilizable ring which fits around the SDF probe tip. The IAS creates adhesion to the imaged tissue by application of negative pressure. The effects of the IAS on the sublingual microcirculatory flow velocities, the force required to induce pressure artifacts (PA, the time to acquire a stable image, and the duration of stable imaging were assessed in healthy volunteers. To demonstrate the clinical applicability of the SDF setup in combination with the IAS, simultaneous bilateral sublingual imaging of the microcirculation were performed during a lung recruitment maneuver (LRM in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients. One SDF device was operated handheld; the second was fitted with the IAS and held in position by a mechanic arm. Lateral drift, number of losses of image stability and duration of stable imaging of the two methods were compared. Results Five healthy volunteers were studied. The IAS did not affect microcirculatory flow velocities. A significantly greater force had to applied onto the tissue to induced PA with compared to without IAS (0.25 ± 0.15 N without vs. 0.62 ± 0.05 N with the IAS, p Conclusions The present study has validated the use of an IAS for improvement of SDF imaging by demonstrating that the IAS did not affect microcirculatory perfusion in the microscopic field of view. The IAS improved both axial and lateral SDF image stability and thereby increased the critical force required to induce pressure artifacts. The IAS ensured a significantly increased duration of maintaining a stable image sequence.

Assessment of Structural Resistance of building 4862 to Earthquake and Tornado Forces [SEC 1 and 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

METCALF, I.L.

1999-01-01

This report presents the results of work done for Hanford Engineering Laboratory under contract Y213-544-12662. LATA performed an assessment of building 4862 resistance to earthquake and tornado forces

Assessment of Structural Resistance of building 4862 to Earthquake and Tornado Forces [SEC 1 and 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

METCALF, I.L.

1999-12-06

This report presents the results of work done for Hanford Engineering Laboratory under contract Y213-544-12662. LATA performed an assessment of building 4862 resistance to earthquake and tornado forces.

Remark on the role of the driving force in BWR instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dykin, V.; Pazsit, I.

2009-01-01

Simple models of BWR instability, used e.g. in understanding the role of the various oscillation modes in the overall stability of the plant, assume that each oscillation mode can be described by a second order system (a damped harmonic oscillator) driven by a white noise driving force. Change of the decay ratio (DR) of the observed signal is, as a rule, associated with the changing of the parameters of the damped oscillator, mainly its damping coefficient, and is interpreted in terms of the change of the stability of the system. However, conceptually, one cannot exclude cases when the change of the response of a driven damped oscillator is due to the change of the properties of the driving force. In this work we investigate the effect of a non-white driving force on the behaviour of the system. A question of interest is how changes of the spectrum of the driving force influence the observed autocorrelation function (ACF) of the resulting signal. Hence we calculate the response of a damped harmonic oscillator driven by a non-white driving force, corresponding to the reactivity effect of propagating density fluctuations in two-phase flow. It is shown how in some special cases such a driving force, when interpreting the neutron noise as if induced by a white noise driving source, can lead to an erroneous conclusion regarding the stability of the system. It is also concluded that in the practically interesting cases the effect of the coloured driving force, arising from propagating density fluctuations, is negligible.

Magnetohydrodynamic Stability of Streaming Jet Pervaded Internally by Varying Transverse Magnetic Field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfaisal A. Hasan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The Magnetohydrodynamic stability of a streaming cylindrical model penetrated by varying transverse magnetic field has been discussed. The problem is formulated, the basic equations are solved, upon appropriate boundary conditions the eigenvalue relation is derived and discussed analytically, and the results are verified numerically. The capillary force is destabilizing in a small axisymmetric domain 0<<1 and stabilizing otherwise. The streaming has a strong destabilizing effect in all kinds of perturbation. The toroidal varying magnetic field interior the fluid has no direct effect at all on the stability of the fluid column. The axial exterior field has strong stabilizing effect on the model. The effect of all acting forces altogether could be identified via the numerical analysis of the stability theory of the present model.

Siting of a low-level radioactive waste management facility - environmental assessment experiences of the Canadian siting task force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorber, D.M.; Story, V.A.

1995-01-01

After public opposition to the plans for a low-level radioactive waste facility at one of two candidate areas at Port Hope, Canada the Environmental Assessment process was postponed, and an independent Siting Process Task Force was set-up to assess the most suitable technologies for LLRW disposal, the areas with the best potential in the province to use these technologies, and the most promising approaches to site selection. The Task Force recommended a five-phased siting process known as the 'Co-operative Siting Process', which was based on the voluntary participation of local communities and a collaborative, joint-planning style of decision making. An independent Siting Task Force was to be established to ensure that the principles of the recommended process was upheld. This siting process is still underway, and problems and successes that have been encountered are summarized in this contribution

IX - MR Control Chart as a Tool in Assessment of the Cast Iron Properties Stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Binczyk

2007-07-01

Full Text Available The study offers a statistical assessment of the stability of a technological process of melting and pouring low-carbon grey iron assigned for casting of brake discs. Some specific characteristics were presented that should be taken into consideration when statistical methods are used for technology improvement. The stability of the cast iron melting process was evaluated using data read out from the thermal analysis curve and true data, i.e. the results of spectrometric analysis of the chemical composition and measured values of the mechanical properties. The method for assessment of process stability was discussed on the example of carbon content and Brinell hardness. The examined parameters of the technological process of grey iron melting and casting are independent of each other (the results of carbon content determination in successive melts, the results of hardness measurements, etc.. Therefore, for analysis, the IX - MR type charts were chosen, where single measurements of the selected property (n = 1 serve as a measure of location, while a measure of variability are the, so called, Moving Ranges (MR, which are an absolute value of the difference between the two successive measurements.

Effect of the ion force on the stability constants of the complexes LnCl2+ and LnCl2+ of Europium and Lutetium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez R, E.; Jimenez R, M.; Solache R, M.

2004-01-01

A study is presented on the determination of the constants of stability of those complex LnCI 3-n n (where Ln = Eu 3+ and Lu 3+ and n = 1 and 2), by means of a method of extraction with solvent, to constant temperature (303 K) and in means of high ionic force (1- 3M H CI/HCIO 4 ). It is also presented the application of the theory of the specific interaction of ions (SIT) of Bronsted-Guggenheim-Scatchard for the extrapolation of the values to infinite dilution. (Author)

Assessment of changes in gait parameters and vertical ground reaction forces after total hip arthroplasty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bhargava P

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The principal objectives of arthroplasty are relief of pain and enhancement of range of motion. Currently, postoperative pain and functional capacity are assessed largely on the basis of subjective evaluation scores. Because of the lack of control inherent in this method it is often difficult to interpret data presented by different observers in the critical evaluation of surgical method, new components and modes of rehabilitation. Gait analysis is a rapid, simple and reliable method to assess functional outcome. This study was undertaken in an effort to evaluate the gait characteristics of patients who underwent arthroplasty, using an Ultraflex gait analyzer. Materials and Methods: The study was based on the assessment of gait and weight-bearing pattern of both hips in patients who underwent total hip replacement and its comparison with an age and sex-matched control group. Twenty subjects of total arthroplasty group having unilateral involvement, operated by posterior approach at our institution with a minimum six-month postoperative period were selected. Control group was age and sex-matched, randomly selected from the general population. Gait analysis was done using Ultraflex gait analyzer. Gait parameters and vertical ground reaction forces assessment was done by measuring the gait cycle properties, step time parameters and VGRF variables. Data of affected limb was compared with unaffected limb as well as control group to assess the weight-bearing pattern. Statistical analysis was done by′t′ test. Results: Frequency is reduced and gait cycle duration increased in total arthroplasty group as compared with control. Step time parameters including Step time, Stance time and Single support time are significantly reduced ( P value < .05 while Double support time and Single swing time are significantly increased ( P value < .05 in the THR group. Forces over each sensor are increased more on the unaffected limb of the THR group as compared to

Griffiss Air Force Base integrated resource assessment. Volume 3, Electric resource assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Armstrong, P.R.; Shankle, S.A.; Elliott, D.B.; Stucky, D.J.; Keller, J.M.; Wahlstrom, R.R.; Dagle, J.E.; Gu, A.Y.

1993-09-01

The US Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC) has tasked the US Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) to identify, evaluate, and assist in acquiring all cost-effective energy projects at Griffiss Air Force Base (AFB). FEMP, with support from the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), is designing this model program for federal customers served by the Niagara Mohawk Power Company. The program with Griffiss AFB will (1) identify and evaluate all cost-effective electric energy projects; (2) develop a schedule for project acquisition considering project type, size, timing, capital requirements, as well as energy and dollar savings; and (3) secure 100% of the financing required to implement electric energy efficiency projects from Niagara Mohawk and have them procure the necessary contractors to perform detailed audits and install the technologies. This report provides the results of the electric energy resource opportunity (ERO) assessments performed by PNL at one of Niagara Mohawk`s primary federal facilities, the ACC Griffiss AFB facility located near Rome, New York. The results of the analyses of EROs are presented in seven common energy end-use categories. A narrative description of each ERO provides information on the initial cost, energy and dollar savings; impacts on operations and maintenance (O&M); and, when applicable, a discussion of energy supply and demand, energy security, and environmental issues. The evaluation methodology and technical and cost assumptions are also described for each ERO. Summary tables present the operational performance of energy end-use equipment before and after the implementation of each ERO and the results of the life-cycle cost analysis indicating the net present value (NPV) and savings-to-investment ratio (SIR) of each ERO.

Chin force in violin playing.

Science.gov (United States)

Obata, Satoshi; Kinoshita, Hiroshi

2012-06-01

Force generated between the left mandible of violinists and the chinrest of the violin was examined using a force-sensing chinrest developed in this study. A strain-gauge force sensor was built, and it was fixed between the violin's top plate and a chin cup. Fifteen professional/amateur violinists held the violin statically, played musical scales with different sound properties and sounding techniques, as well as an excerpt from a Max Bruch concerto. Peak and mean forces were evaluated for each task. In a separate experiment, lateral movement of the lower teeth due to different levels of voluntary chin force exertion was measured. Static holding forces observed were 15 and 22 N with and without the help of the left hand, respectively. Peak force increased from 16 N at soft dynamics to 20 N at strong dynamics during scales. The force further increased to 29 N with the use of vibrato technique and 35 N during shifts. Tempo and hand position did not affect the force. Playing a Bruch concerto induced a mean peak force of 52 N, ranging from 31 to 82 N among the violinists. The developed force-sensing chinrest could accurately record the generated chin force. Typical chin force to stabilize the violin during ordinary musical performance was less than 30 N, but it could momentarily exceed 50 N when technically demanding musical pieces were performed. The lateral shift of the mandible was fairly small (<0.4 mm) even with high chin-force exertion, possibly due to clenching of the molars.

TOTAL FORCE INTEGRATION: PROVIDING STABILITY FOR CITIZEN SOLDIERS IN AN EVER CHANGING AIR FORCE

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-01

specifically called for achieving a better work - life balance and “leveraging the best talents of our Guard, Reserve, and civilian teams.”88 Taking...paper will offer unique scenarios (Let it Be, Nowhere Man, The Long and Winding Road, and We Can Work It Out) which balance mission readiness against...entire Air Force airlift mission, resulting in substantial stressors on civilian careers and family life , which has always been the cornerstone of

Performance Comparison of Adaptive Estimation Techniques for Power System Small-Signal Stability Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. A. Feilat

2010-12-01

Full Text Available This paper demonstrates the assessment of the small-signal stability of a single-machine infinite- bus power system under widely varying loading conditions using the concept of synchronizing and damping torques coefficients. The coefficients are calculated from the time responses of the rotor angle, speed, and torque of the synchronous generator. Three adaptive computation algorithms including Kalman filtering, Adaline, and recursive least squares have been compared to estimate the synchronizing and damping torque coefficients. The steady-state performance of the three adaptive techniques is compared with the conventional static least squares technique by conducting computer simulations at different loading conditions. The algorithms are compared to each other in terms of speed of convergence and accuracy. The recursive least squares estimation offers several advantages including significant reduction in computing time and computational complexity. The tendency of an unsupplemented static exciter to degrade the system damping for medium and heavy loading is verified. Consequently, a power system stabilizer whose parameters are adjusted to compensate for variations in the system loading is designed using phase compensation method. The effectiveness of the stabilizer in enhancing the dynamic stability over wide range of operating conditions is verified through the calculation of the synchronizing and damping torque coefficients using recursive least square technique.

The Amalgamation of SVR and ANFIS Models with Synchronized Phasor Measurements for On-Line Voltage Stability Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Amroune

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the application of support vector regression (SVR and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS models that are amalgamated with synchronized phasor measurements for on-line voltage stability assessment. As the performance of SVR model extremely depends on the good selection of its parameters, the recently developed ant lion optimizer (ALO is adapted to seek for the SVR’s optimal parameters. In particular, the input vector of ALO-SVR and ANFIS soft computing models is provided in the form of voltage magnitudes provided by the phasor measurement units (PMUs. In order to investigate the effectiveness of ALO-SVR and ANFIS models towards performing the on-line voltage stability assessment, in-depth analyses on the results have been carried out on the IEEE 30-bus and IEEE 118-bus test systems considering different topologies and operating conditions. Two statistical performance criteria of root mean square error (RMSE and correlation coefficient (R were considered as metrics to further assess both of the modeling performances in contrast with the power flow equations. The results have demonstrated that the ALO-SVR model is able to predict the voltage stability margin with greater accuracy compared to the ANFIS model.

An ergonomic modular foot platform for isometric force/torque measurements in poststroke functional assessment: A pilot study

OpenAIRE

Stefano Mazzoleni, PhD; Jo Van Vaerenbergh, PhD; Emma Stokes, PhD; Gábor Fazekas, MD, PhD; Paolo Dario, PhD; Eugenio Guglielmelli, PhD

2012-01-01

The main goal of this article is to present the design, technical development, and preliminary validation of an innovative mechatronic device for force/torque measurements taken from the human foot using pilot data. The device, formed by a mobile platform equipped with two six-axis force/torque sensors, was used to perform accurate quantitative measurements during isometric exercises, aimed at performing functional assessment tests in poststroke patients undergoing a rehabilitation treatment....

Assessing Temporal Stability for Coarse Scale Satellite Moisture Validation in the Maqu Area, Tibet

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatti, Haris Akram; Rientjes, Tom; Verhoef, Wouter; Yaseen, Muhammad

2013-01-01

This study evaluates if the temporal stability concept is applicable to a time series of satellite soil moisture images so to extend the common procedure of satellite image validation. The area of study is the Maqu area, which is located in the northeastern part of the Tibetan plateau. The network serves validation purposes of coarse scale (25–50 km) satellite soil moisture products and comprises 20 stations with probes installed at depths of 5, 10, 20, 40, 80 cm. The study period is 2009. The temporal stability concept is applied to all five depths of the soil moisture measuring network and to a time series of satellite-based moisture products from the Advance Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E). The in-situ network is also assessed by Pearsons's correlation analysis. Assessments by the temporal stability concept proved to be useful and results suggest that probe measurements at 10 cm depth best match to the satellite observations. The Mean Relative Difference plot for satellite pixels shows that a RMSM pixel can be identified but in our case this pixel does not overlay any in-situ station. Also, the RMSM pixel does not overlay any of the Representative Mean Soil Moisture (RMSM) stations of the five probe depths. Pearson's correlation analysis on in-situ measurements suggests that moisture patterns over time are more persistent than over space. Since this study presents first results on the application of the temporal stability concept to a series of satellite images, we recommend further tests to become more conclusive on effectiveness to broaden the procedure of satellite validation. PMID:23959237

Importance of the virtual mass force in accelerating steam/water mixtures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalil, Y.F.; Kazimi, M.S.

1987-01-01

Virtual mass force is one of the forces that must be considered against accelerating a dispersed fluid flowing in the bulk of a continuous fluid. This force depends on the geometry of the interface and the flow pattern of the two fluids. For dilute two-phase flow mixtures where the bubbles are singly dispersed, the value of the virtual mass force coefficient is dependent on the geometry of the bubble. However, for high void fraction cases, such as depressurization initiated by a pipe break in light water reactors, more intense interaction is expected between the two phase and, therefore, the value of the virtual mass force must be well defined. The effects of implementing the virtual mass force term in the momentum equations of a two-fluid model may be significant for improving the stability of the solution of the conservation equations, the accuracy of the numerical results, and the computation time. In the current work, a new stability criterion is derived after implementing Hancox's model for the virtual mass force in the momentum equations of the six-equation two-phase flow model of TERMIT. A one-dimensional blow-down in a horizontal pipe is considered to investigate the importance of incorporating the virtual mass force in accelerating mixtures flows

Forced-Choice Assessment of Work-Related Maladaptive Personality Traits: Preliminary Evidence From an Application of Thurstonian Item Response Modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Guenole, Nigel; Brown, Anna A; Cooper, Andrew J

2018-06-01

This article describes an investigation of whether Thurstonian item response modeling is a viable method for assessment of maladaptive traits. Forced-choice responses from 420 working adults to a broad-range personality inventory assessing six maladaptive traits were considered. The Thurstonian item response model's fit to the forced-choice data was adequate, while the fit of a counterpart item response model to responses to the same items but arranged in a single-stimulus design was poor. Monotrait heteromethod correlations indicated corresponding traits in the two formats overlapped substantially, although they did not measure equivalent constructs. A better goodness of fit and higher factor loadings for the Thurstonian item response model, coupled with a clearer conceptual alignment to the theoretical trait definitions, suggested that the single-stimulus item responses were influenced by biases that the independent clusters measurement model did not account for. Researchers may wish to consider forced-choice designs and appropriate item response modeling techniques such as Thurstonian item response modeling for personality questionnaire applications in industrial psychology, especially when assessing maladaptive traits. We recommend further investigation of this approach in actual selection situations and with different assessment instruments.

Impact of thermal frequency drift on highest precision force microscopy using quartz-based force sensors at low temperatures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florian Pielmeier

2014-04-01

Full Text Available In frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM the stability of the eigenfrequency of the force sensor is of key importance for highest precision force measurements. Here, we study the influence of temperature changes on the resonance frequency of force sensors made of quartz, in a temperature range from 4.8–48 K. The sensors are based on the qPlus and length extensional principle. The frequency variation with temperature T for all sensors is negative up to 30 K and on the order of 1 ppm/K, up to 13 K, where a distinct kink appears, it is linear. Furthermore, we characterize a new type of miniaturized qPlus sensor and confirm the theoretically predicted reduction in detector noise.

Survey of linear MHD stability in tokamak configurations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wakatani, M.

1977-01-01

The results found by MHD stability studies for both low-beta and high-beta tokamaks are reviewed. The stability against kink-ballooning modes in equilibria surrounded by vacuum or a layer of force free currents is considered. Internal kink modes and the relation to interchange modes, which should be considered after external kink modes are suppressed, are surveyed

Rule Extraction Based on Extreme Learning Machine and an Improved Ant-Miner Algorithm for Transient Stability Assessment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Li

Full Text Available In order to overcome the problems of poor understandability of the pattern recognition-based transient stability assessment (PRTSA methods, a new rule extraction method based on extreme learning machine (ELM and an improved Ant-miner (IAM algorithm is presented in this paper. First, the basic principles of ELM and Ant-miner algorithm are respectively introduced. Then, based on the selected optimal feature subset, an example sample set is generated by the trained ELM-based PRTSA model. And finally, a set of classification rules are obtained by IAM algorithm to replace the original ELM network. The novelty of this proposal is that transient stability rules are extracted from an example sample set generated by the trained ELM-based transient stability assessment model by using IAM algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed method is shown by the application results on the New England 39-bus power system and a practical power system--the southern power system of Hebei province.

Rule Extraction Based on Extreme Learning Machine and an Improved Ant-Miner Algorithm for Transient Stability Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yang; Li, Guoqing; Wang, Zhenhao

2015-01-01

In order to overcome the problems of poor understandability of the pattern recognition-based transient stability assessment (PRTSA) methods, a new rule extraction method based on extreme learning machine (ELM) and an improved Ant-miner (IAM) algorithm is presented in this paper. First, the basic principles of ELM and Ant-miner algorithm are respectively introduced. Then, based on the selected optimal feature subset, an example sample set is generated by the trained ELM-based PRTSA model. And finally, a set of classification rules are obtained by IAM algorithm to replace the original ELM network. The novelty of this proposal is that transient stability rules are extracted from an example sample set generated by the trained ELM-based transient stability assessment model by using IAM algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed method is shown by the application results on the New England 39-bus power system and a practical power system--the southern power system of Hebei province.

Wavenumber locking and pattern formation in spatially forced systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manor, Rotem; Meron, Ehud; Hagberg, Aric

2009-01-01

We study wavenumber locking and pattern formation resulting from weak spatially periodic one-dimensional forcing of two-dimensional systems. We consider systems that produce stationary or traveling stripe patterns when unforced and apply forcing aligned with the stripes. Forcing at close to twice the pattern wavenumber selects, stabilizes, or creates resonant stripes locked at half the forcing wavenumber. If the mismatch between the forcing and pattern wavenumber is high we find that the pattern still locks but develops a wave vector component perpendicular to the forcing direction and forms rectangular and oblique patterns. When the unforced system supports traveling waves, resonant rectangular patterns remain stationary but oblique patterns travel in a direction orthogonal to the traveling waves.

Stability constants of the Europium complexes with the chloride ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jimenez R, M.; Solache R, M.; Rojas H, A.

2000-01-01

The stability constants of lanthanides complexes with chloride ions which were determined at the same ionic force but in different media, are significantly different. It does not exist a systematic study over these stability constants. The purpose of this work is to determine the stability constants of the europium complexes with chloride ions at 303 K, by the solvents extraction method. (Author)

Stabilizing effect of plasma discharge on bubbling fluidized granular bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Mao-Bin; Dang Sai-Chao; Ma Qiang; Xia Wei-Dong

2015-01-01

Fluidized beds have been widely used for processing granular materials. In this paper, we study the effect of plasma on the fluidization behavior of a bubbling fluidized bed with an atmospheric pressure plasma discharger. Experiment results show that the bubbling fluidized bed is stabilized with the discharge of plasma. When the discharge current reaches a minimum stabilization current C ms , air bubbles in the bed will disappear and the surface fluctuation is completely suppressed. A simplified model is proposed to consider the effect of electric Coulomb force generated by the plasma. It is found that the Coulomb force will propel the particles to move towards the void area, so that the bubbling fluidized bed is stabilized with a high enough plasma discharge. (paper)

Selective effects of different fatigue protocols on the function of upper body muscles assessed through the force-velocity relationship.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Ramos, Amador; Torrejón, Alejandro; Feriche, Belén; Morales-Artacho, Antonio J; Pérez-Castilla, Alejandro; Padial, Paulino; Jaric, Slobodan

2018-02-01

This study explored the feasibility of the force-velocity relationship (F-V) to detect the acute effects of different fatigue protocols on the selective changes of the maximal capacities of upper body muscles to produce force, velocity, and power. After determining the bench press one-repetition maximum (1RM), participants' F-V relationships were assessed during the bench press throw exercise on five separate sessions after performing one of the following fatiguing protocols: 60%1RM failure, 60%1RM non-failure, 80%1RM failure, 80%1RM non-failure, and no-fatigue. In the non-failure protocols, participants performed half the maximum number of repetitions than in their respective failure protocols. The main findings revealed that (1) all F-V relationships were highly linear (median r = 0.997 and r = 0.982 for averaged across participants and individual data, respectively), (2) the fatiguing protocols were ranked based on the magnitude of power loss as follows: 60%1RM failure > 80%1RM failure > 60%1RM non-failure > 80%1RM non-failure, while (3) the assessed maximum force and velocity outputs showed a particularly prominent reduction in the protocols based on the lowest and highest levels of fatigue (i.e., 80%1RM non-failure and 60%1RM failure), respectively. The results support the use of F-V to assess the effects of fatigue on the distinctive capacities of the muscles to produce force, velocity, and power output while performing multi-joint tasks, while the assessed maximum force and velocity capacities showed a particularly prominent reduction in the protocols based on the lowest and highest levels of fatigue (i.e., 80%1RM non-failure and 60%1RM failure), respectively.

Biomechanics of the spine. Part I: Spinal stability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Izzo, Roberto, E-mail: roberto1766@interfree.it [Neuroradiology Department, “A. Cardarelli” Hospital, Napoli (Italy); Guarnieri, Gianluigi, E-mail: gianluigiguarnieri@hotmail.it [Neuroradiology Department, “A. Cardarelli” Hospital, Napoli (Italy); Guglielmi, Giuseppe, E-mail: g.gugliemi@unifg.it [Department of Radiology, University of Foggia, Foggia (Italy); Muto, Mario, E-mail: mutomar@tiscali.it [Neuroradiology Department, “A. Cardarelli” Hospital, Napoli (Italy)

2013-01-15

Biomechanics, the application of mechanical principles to living organisms, helps us to understand how all the bony and soft spinal components contribute individually and together to ensure spinal stability, and how traumas, tumours and degenerative disorders exert destabilizing effects. Spine stability is the basic requirement to protect nervous structures and prevent the early mechanical deterioration of spinal components. The literature reports a number of biomechanical and clinical definitions of spinal stability, but a consensus definition is lacking. Any vertebra in each spinal motion segment, the smallest functional unit of the spine, can perform various combinations of the main and coupled movements during which a number of bony and soft restraints maintain spine stability. Bones, disks and ligaments contribute by playing a structural role and by acting as transducers through their mechanoreceptors. Mechanoreceptors send proprioceptive impulses to the central nervous system which coordinates muscle tone, movement and reflexes. Damage to any spinal structure gives rise to some degree of instability. Instability is classically considered as a global increase in the movements associated with the occurrence of back and/or nerve root pain. The assessment of spinal instability remains a major challenge for diagnostic imaging experts. Knowledge of biomechanics is essential in view of the increasing involvement of radiologists and neuroradiologists in spinal interventional procedures and the ongoing development of new techniques and devices. Bioengineers and surgeons are currently focusing on mobile stabilization systems. These systems represent a new frontier in the treatment of painful degenerative spine and aim to neutralize noxious forces, restore the normal function of spinal segments and protect the adjacent segments. This review discusses the current concepts of spine stability.

Biomechanics of the spine. Part I: Spinal stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izzo, Roberto; Guarnieri, Gianluigi; Guglielmi, Giuseppe; Muto, Mario

2013-01-01

Biomechanics, the application of mechanical principles to living organisms, helps us to understand how all the bony and soft spinal components contribute individually and together to ensure spinal stability, and how traumas, tumours and degenerative disorders exert destabilizing effects. Spine stability is the basic requirement to protect nervous structures and prevent the early mechanical deterioration of spinal components. The literature reports a number of biomechanical and clinical definitions of spinal stability, but a consensus definition is lacking. Any vertebra in each spinal motion segment, the smallest functional unit of the spine, can perform various combinations of the main and coupled movements during which a number of bony and soft restraints maintain spine stability. Bones, disks and ligaments contribute by playing a structural role and by acting as transducers through their mechanoreceptors. Mechanoreceptors send proprioceptive impulses to the central nervous system which coordinates muscle tone, movement and reflexes. Damage to any spinal structure gives rise to some degree of instability. Instability is classically considered as a global increase in the movements associated with the occurrence of back and/or nerve root pain. The assessment of spinal instability remains a major challenge for diagnostic imaging experts. Knowledge of biomechanics is essential in view of the increasing involvement of radiologists and neuroradiologists in spinal interventional procedures and the ongoing development of new techniques and devices. Bioengineers and surgeons are currently focusing on mobile stabilization systems. These systems represent a new frontier in the treatment of painful degenerative spine and aim to neutralize noxious forces, restore the normal function of spinal segments and protect the adjacent segments. This review discusses the current concepts of spine stability

Hydrological assessment of atmospheric forcing uncertainty in the Euro-Mediterranean area using a land surface model

Science.gov (United States)

Gelati, Emiliano; Decharme, Bertrand; Calvet, Jean-Christophe; Minvielle, Marie; Polcher, Jan; Fairbairn, David; Weedon, Graham P.

2018-04-01

Physically consistent descriptions of land surface hydrology are crucial for planning human activities that involve freshwater resources, especially in light of the expected climate change scenarios. We assess how atmospheric forcing data uncertainties affect land surface model (LSM) simulations by means of an extensive evaluation exercise using a number of state-of-the-art remote sensing and station-based datasets. For this purpose, we use the CO2-responsive ISBA-A-gs LSM coupled with the CNRM version of the Total Runoff Integrated Pathways (CTRIP) river routing model. We perform multi-forcing simulations over the Euro-Mediterranean area (25-75.5° N, 11.5° W-62.5° E, at 0.5° resolution) from 1979 to 2012. The model is forced using four atmospheric datasets. Three of them are based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis (ERA-I). The fourth dataset is independent from ERA-Interim: PGF, developed at Princeton University. The hydrological impacts of atmospheric forcing uncertainties are assessed by comparing simulated surface soil moisture (SSM), leaf area index (LAI) and river discharge against observation-based datasets: SSM from the European Space Agency's Water Cycle Multi-mission Observation Strategy and Climate Change Initiative projects (ESA-CCI), LAI of the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS), and Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC) river discharge. The atmospheric forcing data are also compared to reference datasets. Precipitation is the most uncertain forcing variable across datasets, while the most consistent are air temperature and SW and LW radiation. At the monthly timescale, SSM and LAI simulations are relatively insensitive to forcing uncertainties. Some discrepancies with ESA-CCI appear to be forcing-independent and may be due to different assumptions underlying the LSM and the remote sensing retrieval algorithm. All simulations overestimate average summer and early-autumn LAI. Forcing uncertainty impacts on simulated river discharge are

Plasmon-mediated binding forces on gold or silver homodimer and heterodimer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liaw, Jiunn-Woei; Kuo, Ting-Yu; Kuo, Mao-Kuen

2016-01-01

This study theoretically investigates plasmon-mediated optical binding forces, which are exerted on metal homo or heterodimers, induced by the normal illumination of a linearly polarized plane wave or Gaussian beam. Using the multiple multipole method, we analyzed the optical force in terms of Maxwell's stress tensor for various interparticle distance at some specific wavelengths. Numerical results show that for a given wavelength there are several stable equilibrium distances between two nanoparticles (NPs) of a homodimer, which are slightly shorter than some integer multiples of the wavelength in medium, such that metal dimer acts as bonded together. At these specific interparticle distances, the optical force between dimer is null and serves a restoring force, which is repulsive and attractive, respectively, as the two NPs are moving closer to and away from each other. The spring constant of the restoring force at the first stable equilibrium is always the largest, indicating that the first stable equilibrium distance is the most stable one. Moreover, the central line (orientation) of a dimer tends to be perpendicular to the polarization of light. For the cases of heterodimers, the phenomenon of stable equilibrium interparticle distance still exists, except there is an extra net photophoretic force drifting the heterodimer as one. Moreover, gradient force provided by a Gaussian beam may reduce the stability of these equilibriums, so larger NPs are preferred to stabilize a dimer under illumination of Gaussian beam. The finding may pave the way for using optical manipulation on the gold or silver colloidal self-assembly. - Highlights: • Optical binding force on Au/Ag dimer by linearly polarized light is studied. • For a wavelength several stable equilibriums for homodimer bound together exist. • The central line of a dimer tends to be perpendicular to the polarization of light. • For a heterodimer, stable equilibriums still exist with a net photophoretic

Unsteady steady-states: central causes of unintentional force drift.

Science.gov (United States)

Ambike, Satyajit; Mattos, Daniela; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M; Latash, Mark L

2016-12-01

We applied the theory of synergies to analyze the processes that lead to unintentional decline in isometric fingertip force when visual feedback of the produced force is removed. We tracked the changes in hypothetical control variables involved in single fingertip force production based on the equilibrium-point hypothesis, namely the fingertip referent coordinate (R FT ) and its apparent stiffness (C FT ). The system's state is defined by a point in the {R FT ; C FT } space. We tested the hypothesis that, after visual feedback removal, this point (1) moves along directions leading to drop in the output fingertip force, and (2) has even greater motion along directions that leaves the force unchanged. Subjects produced a prescribed fingertip force using visual feedback and attempted to maintain this force for 15 s after the feedback was removed. We used the "inverse piano" apparatus to apply small and smooth positional perturbations to fingers at various times after visual feedback removal. The time courses of R FT and C FT showed that force drop was mostly due to a drift in R FT toward the actual fingertip position. Three analysis techniques, namely hyperbolic regression, surrogate data analysis, and computation of motor-equivalent and non-motor-equivalent motions, suggested strong covariation in R FT and C FT stabilizing the force magnitude. Finally, the changes in the two hypothetical control variables {R FT ; C FT } relative to their average trends also displayed covariation. On the whole, the findings suggest that unintentional force drop is associated with (a) a slow drift of the referent coordinate that pulls the system toward a low-energy state and (b) a faster synergic motion of R FT and C FT that tends to stabilize the output fingertip force about the slowly drifting equilibrium point.

Light-emitting diode assessment of dentinal defects: the role of presumed extraction forces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcelo Santos Coelho

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Objectives The evaluation of iatrogenic dentinal defects in extracted teeth may be influenced by extraction forces and prolonged dry times. The purpose of this study was to compare the presence of dentinal defects in freshly extracted, periodontally compromised teeth with those in a group of teeth with uncontrolled extraction forces and storage time. Materials and Methods The experimental group consisted of eighteen roots obtained from teeth extracted due to periodontal reasons with class II or III mobility. They were kept in saline and sectioned within 1 hour following extraction. The control group consisted of matched root types obtained from an anonymous tooth collection, consistent with previous dentinal defect studies. The slices were obtained at 3, 6, and 9 mm from the apex. The imaging process exposed all specimens to no more than 60 seconds of dry time. The × 12.8 magnification was used for the 9 mm slices and × 19.2 magnification for the 3 mm and 6 mm slices under light-emitting diode (LED transillumination. The root canal spaces and periodontal tissues were masked to minimize extraneous factors that might influence the evaluators. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Results Dentinal defects were detected in 17% of the experimental group teeth, compared to 61% of control teeth (p = 0.015. Conclusions LED transillumination assessment of freshly extracted roots with class II or III mobility showed smaller number of dentinal defects than roots with uncontrolled storage time and extraction forces. The use of freshly extracted roots with mobility should be considered for future dental defect assessment studies.

Probabilistic assessment of power system transient stability incorporating SMES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, Jiakun, E-mail: Jiakun.Fang@gmail.com [State Key Lab of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1037, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074 (China); Yao, Wei [State Key Lab of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1037, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074 (China); Wen, Jinyu, E-mail: jinyu.wen@hust.edu.cn [State Key Lab of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1037, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074 (China); Cheng, Shijie; Tang, Yuejin; Cheng, Zhuo [State Key Lab of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1037, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074 (China)

2013-01-15

Highlights: ► Probabilistic study of power system with wind farm and SMES is proposed. ► Quantitative relationship between system stability and SMES capacity is given. ► System stability increases with the capacity of the SMES. ► System stability decreases with the penetration of wind power. ► Together with the cost function, the coil size is optimized. -- Abstract: This paper presents a stochastic-based approach to evaluate the probabilistic transient stability index of the power system incorporating the wind farm and the SMES. Uncertain factors include both sequence of disturbance in power grid and stochastic generation of the wind farm. The spectrums of disturbance in the grid as the fault type, the fault location, the fault clearing time and the automatic reclosing process with their probabilities of occurrence are used to calculate the probability indices, while the wind speed statistics and parameters of the wind generator are used in a Monte Carlo simulation to generate samples for the studies. With the proposed method, system stability is ”measured”. Quantitative relationship of penetration level, SMES coil size and system stability is established. Considering the stability versus coil size to be the production curve, together with the cost function, the coil size is optimized economically.

Probabilistic assessment of power system transient stability incorporating SMES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Jiakun; Yao, Wei; Wen, Jinyu; Cheng, Shijie; Tang, Yuejin; Cheng, Zhuo

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Probabilistic study of power system with wind farm and SMES is proposed. ► Quantitative relationship between system stability and SMES capacity is given. ► System stability increases with the capacity of the SMES. ► System stability decreases with the penetration of wind power. ► Together with the cost function, the coil size is optimized. -- Abstract: This paper presents a stochastic-based approach to evaluate the probabilistic transient stability index of the power system incorporating the wind farm and the SMES. Uncertain factors include both sequence of disturbance in power grid and stochastic generation of the wind farm. The spectrums of disturbance in the grid as the fault type, the fault location, the fault clearing time and the automatic reclosing process with their probabilities of occurrence are used to calculate the probability indices, while the wind speed statistics and parameters of the wind generator are used in a Monte Carlo simulation to generate samples for the studies. With the proposed method, system stability is ”measured”. Quantitative relationship of penetration level, SMES coil size and system stability is established. Considering the stability versus coil size to be the production curve, together with the cost function, the coil size is optimized economically

Assessment of pipeline stability in the Gulf of Mexico during hurricanes using dynamic analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yinghui Tian

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Pipelines are the critical link between major offshore oil and gas developments and the mainland. Any inadequate on-bottom stability design could result in disruption and failure, having a devastating impact on the economy and environment. Predicting the stability behavior of offshore pipelines in hurricanes is therefore vital to the assessment of both new design and existing assets. The Gulf of Mexico has a very dense network of pipeline systems constructed on the seabed. During the last two decades, the Gulf of Mexico has experienced a series of strong hurricanes, which have destroyed, disrupted and destabilized many pipelines. This paper first reviews some of these engineering cases. Following that, three case studies are retrospectively simulated using an in-house developed program. The study utilizes the offshore pipeline and hurricane details to conduct a Dynamic Lateral Stability analysis, with the results providing evidence as to the accuracy of the modeling techniques developed.

Stability Assessment of a System Comprising a Single Machine and Inverter with Scalable Ratings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Brian B [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Lin, Yashen [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Gevorgian, Vahan [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Purba, Victor [University of Minnesota; Dhople, Sairaj [University of Minnesota

2017-09-28

From the inception of power systems, synchronous machines have acted as the foundation of large-scale electrical infrastructures and their physical properties have formed the cornerstone of system operations. However, power electronics interfaces are playing a growing role as they are the primary interface for several types of renewable energy sources and storage technologies. As the role of power electronics in systems continues to grow, it is crucial to investigate the properties of bulk power systems in low inertia settings. In this paper, we assess the properties of coupled machine-inverter systems by studying an elementary system comprised of a synchronous generator, three-phase inverter, and a load. Furthermore, the inverter model is formulated such that its power rating can be scaled continuously across power levels while preserving its closed-loop response. Accordingly, the properties of the machine-inverter system can be assessed for varying ratios of machine-to-inverter power ratings and, hence, differing levels of inertia. After linearizing the model and assessing its eigenvalues, we show that system stability is highly dependent on the interaction between the inverter current controller and machine exciter, thus uncovering a key concern with mixed machine-inverter systems and motivating the need for next-generation grid-stabilizing inverter controls.

Stabilizing impacts in force-reflecting teleoperation using distance-to-impact estimates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McAree, P.R.; Daniel, R.W.

2000-01-01

The level of force that can be stably reflected to the human operator in a force-reflecting teleoperator is constrained by the dynamics of impact between the slave arm and its environment. This paper models the underlying dynamics of impact and describes how the impact effects can be minimized using estimates of the distance between the slave and objects in its workspace. The approach is based on stochastic variational principles and seeks to limit the momentum of the slave arm at impact. Preliminary experimental results show that the approach allows extension of the range of frequencies that can be stably reflected to the human operator

Assessment of genetic stability in micropropagules of Jatropha curcas genotypes by RAPD and AFLP analysis

KAUST Repository

Sharma, Sweta K.

2011-07-01

Jatropha curcas (Euphorbiaceae), a drought resistant non edible oil yielding plant, has acquired significant importance as an alternative renewable energy source. Low and inconsistent yields found in field plantations prompted for identification of high yielding clones and their large scale multiplication by vegetative propagation to obtain true to type plants. In the current investigation plantlets of J. curcas generated by axillary bud proliferation (micropropagation) using nodal segments obtained from selected high yielding genotypes were assessed for their genetic stability using Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) analyses. For RAPD analysis, 21 out of 52 arbitrary decamer primers screened gave clear reproducible bands. In the micropropagated plantlets obtained from the 2nd sub-culture, 4 out of a total of 177 bands scored were polymorphic, but in the 8th and 16th sub-cultures (culture cycle) no polymorphisms were detected. AFLP analysis revealed 0.63%, 0% and 0% polymorphism in the 2nd, 8th and 16th generations, respectively. When different genotypes, viz. IC 56557 16, IC 56557 34 and IC 56557 13, were assessed by AFLP, 0%, 0.31% and 0.47% polymorphisms were found, respectively, indicating a difference in genetic stability among the different genotypes. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report on assessment of genetic stability of micropropagated plantlets in J. curcas and suggests that axillary shoot proliferation can safely be used as an efficient micropropagation method for mass propagation of J. curcas. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

A Simple Measure to Assess Hyperinflation and Air Trapping: 1-Forced Expiratory Volume in Three Second / Forced Vital Capacity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sermin Börekçi

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Several recent studies have suggested that 1 minus-forced expiratory volume expired in 3 seconds / forced vital capacity (1-FEV3/FVC may be an indicator of distal airway obstruction and a promising measure to evaluate small airways dysfunction. Aims: To investigate the associations of 1-FEV3/FVC with the spirometric measures and lung volumes that assess small airways dysfunction and reflects hyperinflation and air trapping. Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Methods: Retrospective assessment of a total of 1110 cases who underwent body plethysmographic lung volume estimations between a time span from 2005 to 2012. Patients were assigned into two groups: firstly by FEV1/FVC (FEV1/FVC <70% vs. FEV1/FVC ≥70%; secondly by FEV3/FVC < lower limits of normal (LLN (FEV3/FVC < LLN vs. FEV3/FVC ≥ LLN. Spirometric indices and lung volumes measured by whole-body plethysmography were compared in groups. Also the correlation of spirometric indices with measured lung volumes were assessed in the whole-study population and in subgroups stratified according to FEV1/FVC and FEV3/FVC. Results: Six hundred seven (54.7% were male and 503 (45.3% were female, with a mean age of 52.5±15.6 years. Mean FEV3/FVC and 1-FEV3/FVC were 87.05%, 12.95%, respectively. The mean 1-FEV3/FVC was 4.9% in the FEV1/FVC ≥70% group (n=644 vs. 24.1% in the FEV1/FVC <70% group (n=466. A positive correlation was found between 1-FEV3/FVC and residual volume (r=0.70; p<0.0001, functional residual capacity-pleth (r=0.61; p<0.0001, and total lung capacity (r=0.47; p<0.0001. 1-FEV3/FVC was negatively correlated with forced expiratory flow25-75 (r=−0.84; p<0.0001. The upper limit of 95% confidence interval for 1-FEV3/FVC was 13.7%. 1-FEV3/FVC showed significant correlations with parameters of air trapping and hyperinflation measured by whole-body plethysmography. Importantly, these correlations were higher in study participants with FEV1/FVC <70% or FEV3/FVC

Assessment on the mechanical stability of underground excavations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuroki, Shigemori; Taniguchi, Wataru; Sugino, Hiroyuki; Koo, Shigeru; Hasegawa, Hiroshi; Kubota, Shigeru; Dewa, Katsuyuki

1999-11-01

It is planned to construct the tunnels and emplace waste packages at several hundred meters to 1,000 meters under the ground for the repository of high-level radioactive waste based on a policy to assure the safe life environment. It is required to be mechanically stable for the tunnels to assure the work safety throughout the construction, operation and closure phase. In this report, the mechanical stability of tunnels, that is a factor of design requisites, was evaluated by the analyses to present an outline of the technical reliability of geological disposal. To put it concretely, the tunnel sections were determined to have the required areas and shapes, and the analyses on the mechanical stability at tunnel excavations and earthquake, at tunnel intersections were conducted by the theoretical analysis and finite element method. The results obtained by these investigations are shown below: It will be able to construct the tunnels with present techniques. The mechanical stability of tunnels will be assured if proper supports are given, and adequate tunnel spacing and disposal-pit pitches are set. The mechanical stability will be assured at the tunnel intersections if proper reinforcement measures are taken. The reinforcement will be required for the intersection areas over the distance of 1D (D: diameter of tunnels) on the obtuse angle side, and 4D on the acute angle side, when intersection angle is set at 30 degrees. The investigations were conducted on the assumption that the experienced big earthquake occurred. The results show that the effect of earthquake on the mechanical stability of tunnels is small, and tunnels are stable at the earthquake when the mechanical stability at tunnel excavations is assured. (author)

Comparison of ASSESS neutralization module results with actual small force engagement outcomes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gardner, B.H.; Snell, M.K.; Paulus, W.K.

1991-01-01

The ASSESS Neutralization module (Neutralization) is part of the Analytic System and Software for Evaluation of Safeguards and Security (ASSESS), a vulnerability assessment tool. Neutralization models a fire fight between security inspectors (SIs) and adversaries. This paper reports that a comparison has been made between actual outcomes of police and small military engagements and the results predicted by the Neutralization module for similar scenarios. The results of this comparison show a surprising correlation between predicted outcomes (based on numbers of combatants, weapon types, and exposures, etc.) and the actual outcomes of the engagements analyzed. The importance of this analysis is that given the defenders have intelligence on actual adversary characteristics or are protecting against a design basis threat, defense capabilities can be evaluated before an engagement. Results could then be used to develop a favorable probability of a desired outcome. For example, law enforcement agencies are frequently able to compile the number of criminals, types of weaponry, willingness to use force, etc., from analysis of crime scenes

Stability Analysis and Variational Integrator for Real-Time Formation Based on Potential Field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shengqing Yang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates a framework of real-time formation of autonomous vehicles by using potential field and variational integrator. Real-time formation requires vehicles to have coordinated motion and efficient computation. Interactions described by potential field can meet the former requirement which results in a nonlinear system. Stability analysis of such nonlinear system is difficult. Our methodology of stability analysis is discussed in error dynamic system. Transformation of coordinates from inertial frame to body frame can help the stability analysis focus on the structure instead of particular coordinates. Then, the Jacobian of reduced system can be calculated. It can be proved that the formation is stable at the equilibrium point of error dynamic system with the effect of damping force. For consideration of calculation, variational integrator is introduced. It is equivalent to solving algebraic equations. Forced Euler-Lagrange equation in discrete expression is used to construct a forced variational integrator for vehicles in potential field and obstacle environment. By applying forced variational integrator on computation of vehicles' motion, real-time formation of vehicles in obstacle environment can be implemented. Algorithm based on forced variational integrator is designed for a leader-follower formation.

Evidence for forcing-dependent steady states in a turbulent swirling flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Saint-Michel, B; Dubrulle, B; Marié, L; Ravelet, F; Daviaud, F

2013-12-06

We study the influence on steady turbulent states of the forcing in a von Karman flow, at constant impeller speed, or at constant torque. We find that the different forcing conditions change the nature of the stability of the steady states and reveal dynamical regimes that bear similarities to low-dimensional systems. We suggest that this forcing dependence may be applicable to other turbulent systems.

Cumulative carbon as a policy framework for achieving climate stabilization

Science.gov (United States)

Matthews, H. Damon; Solomon, Susan; Pierrehumbert, Raymond

2012-01-01

The primary objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that will avoid dangerous climate impacts. However, greenhouse gas concentration stabilization is an awkward framework within which to assess dangerous climate change on account of the significant lag between a given concentration level and the eventual equilibrium temperature change. By contrast, recent research has shown that global temperature change can be well described by a given cumulative carbon emissions budget. Here, we propose that cumulative carbon emissions represent an alternative framework that is applicable both as a tool for climate mitigation as well as for the assessment of potential climate impacts. We show first that both atmospheric CO2 concentration at a given year and the associated temperature change are generally associated with a unique cumulative carbon emissions budget that is largely independent of the emissions scenario. The rate of global temperature change can therefore be related to first order to the rate of increase of cumulative carbon emissions. However, transient warming over the next century will also be strongly affected by emissions of shorter lived forcing agents such as aerosols and methane. Non-CO2 emissions therefore contribute to uncertainty in the cumulative carbon budget associated with near-term temperature targets, and may suggest the need for a mitigation approach that considers separately short- and long-lived gas emissions. By contrast, long-term temperature change remains primarily associated with total cumulative carbon emissions owing to the much longer atmospheric residence time of CO2 relative to other major climate forcing agents. PMID:22869803

[Design on tester of pull-out force for orthodontic micro implant].

Science.gov (United States)

Su, He; Wu, Pei; Wang, Huiyuan; Chen, Yan; Bao, Xuemei

2013-09-01

A special device for measuring the pull-out force of orthodontic micro implant was designed, which has the characteristics of simple construction and easy operation, and can be used to detect the pull-out-force of orthodontic micro implant. The tested data was stored and analyzed by a computer, and as the results, the pull-out-force curve, maximum pull-out force as well as average pull-out force were outputted, which was applied in analyzing or investigating the initial stability and immediate loading property of orthodontic micro implant.

Stability aspects of plasmas penetrated by neutral gas with respect to velocity driven modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohlsson, D.

1978-08-01

A study of the stability properties of dense partially ionized plasmas immersed in strong magnetic fields with respect to velocity driven modes are presented. First we consider modes driven by mass motion perpendicular to the lines of force and the unperturbed density and temperature gradients. The presence of a third fluid, neutral gas, gives under certain conditions rise to unstable modes. This type of instability arises independently or whether the applied electric field transverse to the lines of force, driving the mass motion, being parallel or antiparallel to the unperturbed density and temperature gradient. The presence of neutral gas also corresponds to stabilizing effects which, in certain parameter regions, result in a quenching of this instability. It is shown that modes driven by velocity shear perpendicular to the lines of force are effectively stabilized by viscous and resistive effects. These effects are in certain parameter ranges strongly enhanced on account of plasma-neutral gas interaction effects. In collisionless plasmas, modes driven by velocity shear parallel to the lines of force are stabilized by compressibility effects parallel to the magnetic field and by finite Larmor radius effects. (author)

Control Design of Active Magnetic Bearings for Rotors Subjected to Destabilising Seal Forces - Theory & Experiment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, Jonas Skjødt

. At present, there is no generally accepted method for determination of dynamic seal forces. Therefore, large uncertainties must be expected when modelling dynamic seal forces and consequently also in rotor-dynamic stability analysis. This thesis focuses on i) closed loop identification of uncertain AMB...... parameters, ii) closed loop identification of unknown stiffness and damping coefficients of a dynamicseal model and iii) the design of AMB controllers to handle dynamic seal forces. Controllers that can guarantee stability and performance in the presence of uncertainseal forces are of special interest...... the uncertaintiesin seal forces and for LPV control synthesis, to compensate for known changes in seal forces due to changes in operating conditions. A rotor dynamic test facility with a rigid rotor, two radial AMBs and one annular test seal is used for i) closed loop identification of parameters in the AMB...

[Study on retention and stability of linear occlusal complete dentures].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ping; Xu, Jun

2003-01-01

To learn retention and stability of linear occlusal complete dentures by investigating the subjective feelings of patient and the value of retention force. Static retention forces of maxillary and mandibular dentures were measured for 25 patients wearing linear occlusal dentures by using Hz-1 retention dynamometer. The subjective feelings of patients in functional state were gained simultaneously through questionnaire. Linear occlusal dentures demonstrate good retention in static and dynamic state. Among patients with severe resorption of residual ridge (RRR), mandibular linear occlusal dentures (shown good retentive subjective feelings) demonstrate significantly smaller retention force than those with slight or medium degree of RRR. There is no correlation between the subjective feelings and the values of retention forces of mandibular dentures. The subjective feelings of patients wearing new linear occlusal dentures are much better than that of old anatomic occlusal dentures. Linear occlusal dentures improve the performances of dentures by enhancing their stability during mastication movement.

A new rapid high-throughput method for prediction of beer colloidal stability

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Gabriel, P.; Sladký, P.; Sigler, Karel

2016-01-01

Roč. 122, č. 2 (2016), s. 304-309 ISSN 0046-9750 Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : colloidal stability * beer stabilization * forced aging test Subject RIV: GM - Food Processing Impact factor: 0.859, year: 2016

Dynamic stability analysis of caisson breakwater in lifetime considering the annual frequency of severe storm

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yu-chi; Wang, Yuan-zhan; Hong, Ning-ning

2015-04-01

In the dynamic stability analysis of a caisson breakwater, most of current studies pay attention to the motion characteristics of caisson breakwaters under a single periodical breaking wave excitation. And in the lifetime stability analysis of caisson breakwater, it is assumed that the caisson breakwater suffers storm wave excitation once annually in the design lifetime. However, the number of annual severe storm occurrence is a random variable. In this paper, a series of random waves are generated by the Wen Sheng-chang wave spectrum, and the histories of successive and long-term random wave forces are built up by using the improved Goda wave force model. It is assumed that the number of annual severe storm occurrence is in the Poisson distribution over the 50-year design lifetime, and the history of random wave excitation is generated for each storm by the wave spectrum. The response histories of the caisson breakwater to the random waves over 50-year design lifetime are calculated and taken as a set of samples. On the basis of the Monte Carlo simulation technique, a large number of samples can be obtained, and the probability assessment of the safety of the breakwater during the complete design lifetime is obtained by statistical analysis of a large number of samples. Finally, the procedure of probability assessment of the breakwater safety is illustrated by an example.

Assessment of Nutrient Stability in Space Foods

Science.gov (United States)

Zwart, S. R.; Perchonok, M.; Braby, L. A.; Kloeris, V. A.; Smith, S. M.

2009-01-01

Maintaining an intact nutrient supply in the food system flown on spacecraft is a critical issue for mission success and crew health and safety. Early polar expeditions and exploration expeditions by sailing vessels have taught us that a deficiency, or excess, of even a single vitamin in the food supply can be catastrophic. Evidence from ground-based research indicates that some vitamins are destroyed and fatty acids are oxidized (and therefore rendered dangerous or useless) by different types of radiation and by conditions of long-term storage. We hypothesize that radiation and long-term storage in the space-flight environment will affect the stability of vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids in the space food system. The research objectives of our ongoing stability studies are to determine the stability of water- and fat-soluble vitamins, fatty acids, and amino acids in the space food supply before and after space flight on the International Space Station (ISS). Foods were analyzed after 2 weeks (a flight control), 11, 19, and 28 months of flight. Along with the space-flown foods, ground-based controls matched for time, light, and temperature are analyzed. The flight studies complement planned ground-based studies of the effects of radiation on vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids. Flight studies are needed because a model based on ground-based data cannot predict all of the effects of the space-flight environment. Flight studies provide a more accurate test system to determine the effects on these nutrients of the temperature, and radiation conditions in the space-flight environment. Ground studies are required to evaluate longer missions and higher radiation levels expected outside low-Earth orbit. In addition to providing information about nutrient stability in space, the results of these studies will help NASA determine if a need exists to develop special packaging that can ensure stability of foods and nutrients in space, or if further studies of nutrient

VSC Input-Admittance Modeling and Analysis Above the Nyquist Frequency for Passivity-Based Stability Assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harnefors, Lennart; Finger, Raphael; Wang, Xiongfei

2017-01-01

The interconnection stability of a gridconnected voltage-source converter (VSC) can be assessed via the dissipative properties of its input admittance. In this paper, the modeling of the current control loop is revisited with the aim to improve the accuracy of the input-admittance model above...

Scenarios of Future Socio-Economics, Energy, Land Use, and Radiative Forcing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eom, Jiyong; Moss, Richard H.; Edmonds, James A.; Calvin, Katherine V.; Clarke, Leon E.; Dooley, James J.; Kim, Son H.; Kopp, Roberrt; Kyle, G. Page; Luckow, Patrick W.; Patel, Pralit L.; Thomson, Allison M.; Wise, Marshall A.; Zhou, Yuyu

2013-04-13

This chapter explores uncertainty in future scenarios of energy, land use, emissions and radiative forcing that span the range in the literature for radiative forcing, but also consider uncertainty in two other dimensions, challenges to mitigation and challenges to adaptation. We develop a set of six scenarios that we explore in detail including the underlying the context in which they are set, assumptions that drive the scenarios, the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM), used to produce quantified implications for those assumptions, and results for the global energy and land-use systems as well as emissions, concentrations and radiative forcing. We also describe the history of scenario development and the present state of development of this branch of climate change research. We discuss the implications of alternative social, economic, demographic, and technology development possibilities, as well as potential stabilization regimes for the supply of and demand for energy, the choice of energy technologies, and prices of energy and agricultural commodities. Land use and land cover will also be discussed with the emphasis on the interaction between the demand for bioenergy and crops, crop yields, crop prices, and policy settings to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Stability and dynamics of a controlled van der Pol-Duffing oscillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji, J.C.; Hansen, C.H.

2006-01-01

The trivial equilibrium of a van der Pol-Duffing oscillator under a linear-plus-nonlinear feedback control may change its stability either via a single or via a double Hopf bifurcation if the time delay involved in the feedback reaches certain values. It is found that the trivial equilibrium may lose its stability via a subcritical or supercritical Hopf bifurcation and regain its stability via a reverse subcritical or supercritical Hopf bifurcation as the time delay increases. A stable limit cycle appears after a supercritical Hopf bifurcation occurs and disappears through a reverse supercritical Hopf bifurcation. The interaction of the weakly periodic excitation and the stable bifurcating solution is investigated for the forced system under primary resonance conditions. It is shown that the forced periodic response may lose its stability via a Neimark-Sacker bifurcation. Analytical results are validated by a comparison with those of direct numerical integration

Management of pediatric mandibular fractures using bioresorbable plating system - Efficacy, stability, and clinical outcomes: Our experiences and literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Mahinder; Singh, R K; Passi, Deepak; Aggarwal, Mohit; Kaur, Guneet

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and stability of the biodegradable fixation system for treatment of mandible fractures in pediatric patients by measuring the bite force. Sixty pediatric patients with mandibular fractures (36 males, 24 females) were included in this study. The 2.5-mm resorbable plates were adapted along Champy's line of ideal osteosynthesis and secured with four 2.5 mm diameter monocortical resorbable screws, 8 mm in length. All patients were followed for 10 months. Clinical parameters, such as soft tissue infection, nonunion, malunion, implant exposure, malocclusion, nerve injury, and bite force for stability, were prospectively assessed. Adequate fixation and primary bone healing was achieved in 100% of the cases. Six minor complications (10%) were observed: 2 soft tissue infections (3%), 1 plate dehiscence (2%), 1 malocclusion (2%), and 2 paresthesia (3%). 2.5-mm resorbable plating system along Champy's line of ideal osteosynthesis is a good treatment modality for mandible fractures in pediatric patients.

Stabilization at almost arbitrary points for chaotic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, C.-S.; Lian, K.-Y.; Su, C.-H.; Wu, J.-W.

2008-01-01

We consider how to design a feasible control input for chaotic systems via a suitable input channel to achieve the stabilization at arbitrary points. Regarding the nonlinear systems without naturally defined input vectors, we propose a local stabilization controller which works for almost arbitrary points. Subsequently, according to topologically transitive property for chaotic systems, the feedback control force is activated only when the trajectory passes through the neighboring region of the regulated point. Hence the global stabilization is achieved whereas the control effort of the hybrid controller is extremely low

Stability of nanofluids: Molecular dynamic approach and experimental study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farzaneh, H.; Behzadmehr, A.; Yaghoubi, M.; Samimi, A.; Sarvari, S.M.H.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Nanofluid stability is investigated and discussed. • A molecular dynamic approach, considering different forces on the nanoparticles, is adopted. • Stability diagrams are presented for different thermo-fluid conditions. • An experimental investigation is carried out to confirm the theoretical approach. - Abstract: Nanofluids as volumetric absorbent in solar energy conversion devices or as working fluid in different heat exchangers have been proposed by various researchers. However, dispersion stability of nanofluids is an important issue that must be well addressed before any industrial applications. Conditions such as severe temperature gradient, high temperature of heat transfer fluid, nanoparticle mean diameters and types of nanoparticles and base fluid are among the most effective parameters on the stability of nanofluid. A molecular dynamic approach, considering kinetic energy of nanoparticles and DLVO potential energy between nanoparticles, is adopted to study the nanofluid stability for different nanofluids at different working conditions. Different forces such as Brownian, thermophoresis, drag and DLVO are considered to introduce the stability diagrams. The latter presents the conditions for which a nanofluid can be stable. In addition an experimental investigation is carried out to find a stable nanofluid and to show the validity of the theoretical approach. There is a good agreement between the experimental and theoretical results that confirms the validity of our theoretical approach.

[Stability of orthodontic correction: preconditions of relapses caused by occlusal forces].

Science.gov (United States)

Shishkin, K M; Arsenina, O I; Shishkin, M K; Popova, N V

The aim of the study was to determine the prognostic criteria of orthodontic treatment success in a group of patients with crowded teeth position and a neutral occlusion. The study included 150 patients (123 female and 27 male) with the average follow-up of 10.02±2.88 years and average retention phase of 6.15±2.98 years. Teeth positions, dental arches form, occlusal contacts and periodontal status were studied. Dentition changes after orthodontic correction should be considered as a result of adaptive compensatory balance. The resultant force acting on teeth and the direction of it determine displacement of teeth. The leading relapse precontidion induced by the occlusal forces was the interference of the canines, mandible deviation and asymmetry, muscle tone disorders.

Force spectroscopy studies on protein-ligand interactions: a single protein mechanics perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiaotang; Li, Hongbin

2014-10-01

Protein-ligand interactions are ubiquitous and play important roles in almost every biological process. The direct elucidation of the thermodynamic, structural and functional consequences of protein-ligand interactions is thus of critical importance to decipher the mechanism underlying these biological processes. A toolbox containing a variety of powerful techniques has been developed to quantitatively study protein-ligand interactions in vitro as well as in living systems. The development of atomic force microscopy-based single molecule force spectroscopy techniques has expanded this toolbox and made it possible to directly probe the mechanical consequence of ligand binding on proteins. Many recent experiments have revealed how ligand binding affects the mechanical stability and mechanical unfolding dynamics of proteins, and provided mechanistic understanding on these effects. The enhancement effect of mechanical stability by ligand binding has been used to help tune the mechanical stability of proteins in a rational manner and develop novel functional binding assays for protein-ligand interactions. Single molecule force spectroscopy studies have started to shed new lights on the structural and functional consequence of ligand binding on proteins that bear force under their biological settings. Copyright © 2014 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validity of the Nintendo Wii® balance board for the assessment of standing balance in Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes, Jeffrey D; Jenkins, Mary E; Johnson, Andrew M; Hunt, Michael A; Clark, Ross A

2013-04-01

Impaired postural stability places individuals with Parkinson's at an increased risk for falls. Given the high incidence of fall-related injuries within this population, ongoing assessment of postural stability is important. To evaluate the validity of the Nintendo Wii(®) balance board as a measurement tool for the assessment of postural stability in individuals with Parkinson's. Twenty individuals with Parkinson's participated. Subjects completed testing on two balance tasks with eyes open and closed on a Wii(®) balance board and biomechanical force platform. Bland-Altman plots and a two-way, random-effects, single measure intraclass correlation coefficient model were used to assess concurrent validity of centre-of-pressure data. Concurrent validity was demonstrated to be excellent across balance tasks (intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.96, 0.98, 0.92, 0.94). This study suggests that the Wii(®) balance board is a valid tool for the quantification of postural stability among individuals with Parkinson's.

Methods to assess the stability of a bicycle rider system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cooke, A.G.; Bulsink, Vera Elisabeth; Beusenberg, Mark; Dubbeldam, Rosemary; Bonnema, Gerrit Maarten; Poelman, Wim; Koopman, Hubertus F.J.M.

2012-01-01

The SOFIE (Intelligent Assisted Bicycles) project wishes to create performance and design guidelines for mechatronic appliances which improve the stability of electric bicycles, so-called intelligent stability assist devices (IAD). To achieve this goal, a stability hypothesis, an advanced

Engaging with farmers as entrepreneurs and partners: experiences with a self-assessment tool for farmer'organisations (FORCE)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schrader, T.

2010-01-01

Governments, donors and companies increasingly perceive small farmers and their organisations as development actors and business partners. A practical self-assessment tool, 'Farmers Organizations Reviewing Capacities and Entrepreneurship' (FORCE), takes up the challenge to translate the recognition

Surgical stabilization of internal pneumatic stabilization? A prospective randomized study of management of severe flail chest patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Hideharu; Yukioka, Tetsuo; Yamaguti, Yoshihiro; Shimizu, Syoichiro; Goto, Hideaki; Matsuda, Hiroharu; Shimazaki, Syuji

2002-04-01

We compared the clinical efficacy of surgical stabilization and internal pneumatic stabilization in severe flail chest patients who required prolonged ventilatory support. Thirty-seven consecutive severe flail chest patients who required mechanical ventilation were enrolled in this study. All the patients received identical respiratory management, including end-tracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, continuous epidural anesthesia, analgesia, bronchoscopic aspiration, postural drainage, and pulmonary hygiene. At 5 days after injury, surgical stabilization with Judet struts (S group, n = 18) or internal pneumatic stabilization (I group, n = 19) was randomly assigned. Most respiratory management was identical between the two groups except the surgical procedure. Statistical analysis using two-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test was used to compare the groups. Age, sex, Injury Severity Score, chest Abbreviated Injury Score, number of rib fractures, severity of lung contusion, and Pao2/Fio2 ratio at admission were all equivalent in the two groups. The S group showed a shorter ventilatory period (10.8 +/- 3.4 days) than the I group (18.3 +/- 7.4 days) (p < 0.05), shorter intensive care unit stay (S group, 16.5 +/- 7.4 days; I group, 26.8 +/- 13.2 days; p < 0.05), and lower incidence of pneumonia (S group, 24%; I group, 77%; p < 0.05). Percent forced vital capacity was higher in the S group at 1 month and thereafter (p < 0.05). The percentage of patients who had returned to full-time employment at 6 months was significantly higher in the S group (11 of 18) than in the I group (1 of 19). This study proved that in severe flail chest patients, surgical stabilization using Judet struts has beneficial effects with respect to less ventilatory support, lower incidence of pneumonia, shorter trauma intensive care unit stay, and reduced medical cost than internal fixation. Moreover, surgical stabilization with Judet struts improved percent forced vital capacity from the

Improvement of sidestream dark field imaging with an image acquisition stabilizer.

Science.gov (United States)

Balestra, Gianmarco M; Bezemer, Rick; Boerma, E Christiaan; Yong, Ze-Yie; Sjauw, Krishan D; Engstrom, Annemarie E; Koopmans, Matty; Ince, Can

2010-07-13

In the present study we developed, evaluated in volunteers, and clinically validated an image acquisition stabilizer (IAS) for Sidestream Dark Field (SDF) imaging. The IAS is a stainless steel sterilizable ring which fits around the SDF probe tip. The IAS creates adhesion to the imaged tissue by application of negative pressure. The effects of the IAS on the sublingual microcirculatory flow velocities, the force required to induce pressure artifacts (PA), the time to acquire a stable image, and the duration of stable imaging were assessed in healthy volunteers. To demonstrate the clinical applicability of the SDF setup in combination with the IAS, simultaneous bilateral sublingual imaging of the microcirculation were performed during a lung recruitment maneuver (LRM) in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients. One SDF device was operated handheld; the second was fitted with the IAS and held in position by a mechanic arm. Lateral drift, number of losses of image stability and duration of stable imaging of the two methods were compared. Five healthy volunteers were studied. The IAS did not affect microcirculatory flow velocities. A significantly greater force had to applied onto the tissue to induced PA with compared to without IAS (0.25 +/- 0.15 N without vs. 0.62 +/- 0.05 N with the IAS, p IAS ensured an increased duration of a stable image sequence (8 +/- 2 s without vs. 42 +/- 8 s with the IAS, p IAS. In eight mechanically ventilated patients undergoing a LRM the use of the IAS resulted in a significantly reduced image drifting and enabled the acquisition of significantly longer stable image sequences (24 +/- 5 s without vs. 67 +/- 14 s with the IAS, p = 0.006). The present study has validated the use of an IAS for improvement of SDF imaging by demonstrating that the IAS did not affect microcirculatory perfusion in the microscopic field of view. The IAS improved both axial and lateral SDF image stability and thereby increased the critical force required

Assessing Locally Focused Stability Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

interest to other organizations within the Army, as well as to organizations within the Air Force, the Navy, the Marines, and the Intelligence Community...activities that lead to progress in the short term from a military standpoint (e.g., rewarding intelligence sources with food) may be at odds with...the aims and objectives of an aid organization working in the same area (e.g., preventing malnutrition for all), and both may impede the long-term

Wind and Current Forces Acting on Canadian Forces Ships During Tug Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2002-11-01

McTaggart and Sav- age [1] describe model tests conducted on a generic frigate model to determine wind forces influencing ship capsize. Van Manen and van ...Fn will be 0.06. Based on data presented by van Manen and van Oossanen [2], the fric- tional resistance coefficient will be approximately 0.002 and...Conference on Stability of Ships and Ocean Vehicles (Melbourne, Florida, 1994). 2. J.D. van Manen and P. van Oossanen, Principles of Naval Architecture, Volume

Effect of Tendon Vibration on Hemiparetic Arm Stability in Unstable Workspaces.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Megan O Conrad

Full Text Available Sensory stimulation of wrist musculature can enhance stability in the proximal arm and may be a useful therapy aimed at improving arm control post-stroke. Specifically, our prior research indicates tendon vibration can enhance stability during point-to-point arm movements and in tracking tasks. The goal of the present study was to investigate the influence of forearm tendon vibration on endpoint stability, measured at the hand, immediately following forward arm movements in an unstable environment. Both proximal and distal workspaces were tested. Ten hemiparetic stroke subjects and 5 healthy controls made forward arm movements while grasping the handle of a two-joint robotic arm. At the end of each movement, the robot applied destabilizing forces. During some trials, 70 Hz vibration was applied to the forearm flexor muscle tendons. 70 Hz was used as the stimulus frequency as it lies within the range of optimal frequencies that activate the muscle spindles at the highest response rate. Endpoint position, velocity, muscle activity and grip force data were compared before, during and after vibration. Stability at the endpoint was quantified as the magnitude of oscillation about the target position, calculated from the power of the tangential velocity data. Prior to vibration, subjects produced unstable, oscillating hand movements about the target location due to the applied force field. Stability increased during vibration, as evidenced by decreased oscillation in hand tangential velocity.

The force pyramid: a spatial analysis of force application during virtual reality brain tumor resection.

Science.gov (United States)

Azarnoush, Hamed; Siar, Samaneh; Sawaya, Robin; Zhrani, Gmaan Al; Winkler-Schwartz, Alexander; Alotaibi, Fahad Eid; Bugdadi, Abdulgadir; Bajunaid, Khalid; Marwa, Ibrahim; Sabbagh, Abdulrahman Jafar; Del Maestro, Rolando F

2017-07-01

OBJECTIVE Virtual reality simulators allow development of novel methods to analyze neurosurgical performance. The concept of a force pyramid is introduced as a Tier 3 metric with the ability to provide visual and spatial analysis of 3D force application by any instrument used during simulated tumor resection. This study was designed to answer 3 questions: 1) Do study groups have distinct force pyramids? 2) Do handedness and ergonomics influence force pyramid structure? 3) Are force pyramids dependent on the visual and haptic characteristics of simulated tumors? METHODS Using a virtual reality simulator, NeuroVR (formerly NeuroTouch), ultrasonic aspirator force application was continually assessed during resection of simulated brain tumors by neurosurgeons, residents, and medical students. The participants performed simulated resections of 18 simulated brain tumors with different visual and haptic characteristics. The raw data, namely, coordinates of the instrument tip as well as contact force values, were collected by the simulator. To provide a visual and qualitative spatial analysis of forces, the authors created a graph, called a force pyramid, representing force sum along the z-coordinate for different xy coordinates of the tool tip. RESULTS Sixteen neurosurgeons, 15 residents, and 84 medical students participated in the study. Neurosurgeon, resident and medical student groups displayed easily distinguishable 3D "force pyramid fingerprints." Neurosurgeons had the lowest force pyramids, indicating application of the lowest forces, followed by resident and medical student groups. Handedness, ergonomics, and visual and haptic tumor characteristics resulted in distinct well-defined 3D force pyramid patterns. CONCLUSIONS Force pyramid fingerprints provide 3D spatial assessment displays of instrument force application during simulated tumor resection. Neurosurgeon force utilization and ergonomic data form a basis for understanding and modulating resident force

Experimental investigation of the stability of the floating water bridge

Science.gov (United States)

Montazeri Namin, Reza; Azizpour Lindi, Shiva; Amjadi, Ahmad; Jafari, Nima; Irajizad, Peyman

2013-09-01

When a high voltage is applied between two beakers filled with deionized water, a floating bridge of water is formed in between exceeding the length of 2 cm when the beakers are pulled apart. Currently two theories regarding the stability of the floating water bridge exist, one suggesting that the tension caused by electric field in the dielectric medium is holding the bridge and the other suggesting surface tension to be responsible for the vertical equilibrium. We construct experiments in which the electric field and the geometry of the bridge are measured and compared with predictions of theories of the floating water bridge stability. We use a numerical simulation for estimation of the electric field. Our results indicate that the two forces of dielectric and surface tensions hold the bridge against gravity simultaneously and, having the same order of magnitude, neither of the two forces are negligible. In bridges with larger diameters, the effect of dielectric tension is slightly more in the vertical equilibrium than surface tension. Results show that the stability can be explained by macroscopic forces, regardless of the microscopic changes in the water structure.

SOSlope: a new slope stability model for vegetated hillslopes

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, D.; Schwarz, M.

2016-12-01

Roots contribute to increase soil strength but forces mobilized by roots depend on soil relative displacement. This effect is not included in models of slope stability. Here we present a new numerical model of shallow landslides for vegetated hillslopes that uses a strain-step loading approach for force redistributions within a soil mass including the effects of root strength in both tension and compression. The hillslope is discretized into a two-dimensional array of blocks connected by bonds. During a rainfall event the blocks's mass increases and the soil shear strength decreases. At each time step, we compute a factor of safety for each block. If the factor of safety of one or more blocks is less than one, those blocks are moved in the direction of the local active force by a predefined amount and the factor of safety is recalculated for all blocks. Because of the relative motion between blocks that have moved and those that remain stationary, mechanical bond forces between blocks that depend on relative displacement change, modifying the force balance. This relative motion triggers instantaneous force redistributions across the entire hillslope similar to a self-organized critical system. Looping over blocks and moving those that are unstable is repeated until all blocks are stable and the system reaches a new equilibrium, or, some blocks have failed causing a landslide. Spatial heterogeneity of vegetation is included by computing the root density and distribution as a function of distance form trees. A simple subsurface hydrological model based on dual permeability concepts is used to compute the temporal evolution of water content, pore-water pressure, suction stress, and soil shear strength. Simulations for a conceptual slope indicates that forces mobilized in tension and compression both contribute to the stability of the slope. However, the maximum tensional and compressional forces imparted by roots do not contribute simultaneously to the stability of

The Dynamics of Finite-Dimensional Systems Under Nonconservative Position Forces

Science.gov (United States)

Lobas, L. G.

2001-01-01

General theorems on the stability of stationary states of mechanical systems subjected to nonconservative position forces are presented. Specific mechanical problems on gyroscopic systems, a double-link pendulum with a follower force and elastically fixed upper tip, multilink pneumowheel vehicles, a monorail car, and rail-guided vehicles are analyzed. Methods for investigation of divergent bifurcations and catastrophes of stationary states are described

A Simple Method for Assessing Upper-Limb Force-Velocity Profile in Bench Press.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahmani, Abderrahmane; Samozino, Pierre; Morin, Jean-Benoit; Morel, Baptiste

2018-02-01

To analyze the reliability and validity of a field computation method based on easy-to-measure data to assess the mean force ([Formula: see text]) and velocity ([Formula: see text]) produced during a ballistic bench-press movement and to verify that the force-velocity profile (F-v) obtained with multiple loaded trials is accurately described. Twelve participants performed ballistic bench presses against various lifted mass from 30% to 70% of their body mass. For each trial, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] were determined from an accelerometer (sampling rate 500 Hz; reference method) and a simple computation method based on upper-limb mass, barbell flight height, and push-off distance. These [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] data were used to establish the F-v relationship for each individual and method. A strong to almost perfect reliability was observed between the 2 trials (ICC > .90 for [Formula: see text] and .80 for [Formula: see text], CV%  .80, P push-off distance).

Dynamic stability of a seaplane in takeoff

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Dala, L

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This research is based on the investigation into the dynamic stability associated with seaplanes during take-off. Various forces acting on a hydroplaning hull form have been empirically defined. Such empirical data have shown that under a certain...

Fingertip touch improves postural stability in patients with peripheral neuropathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickstein, R; Shupert, C L; Horak, F B

2001-12-01

The purpose of this work was to determine whether fingertip touch on a stable surface could improve postural stability during stance in subjects with somatosensory loss in the feet from diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The contribution of fingertip touch to postural stability was determined by comparing postural sway in three touch conditions (light, heavy and none) in eight patients and eight healthy control subjects who stood on two surfaces (firm or foam) with eyes open or closed. In the light touch condition, fingertip touch provided only somatosensory information because subjects exerted less than 1 N of force with their fingertip to a force plate, mounted on a vertical support. In the heavy touch condition, mechanical support was available because subjects transmitted as much force to the force plate as they wished. In the no touch condition, subjects held the right forefinger above the force plate. Antero-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) root mean square (RMS) of center of pressure (CoP) sway and trunk velocity were larger in subjects with somatosensory loss than in control subjects, especially when standing on the foam surface. The effects of light and heavy touch were similar in the somatosensory loss and control groups. Fingertip somatosensory input through light touch attenuated both AP and ML trunk velocity as much as heavy touch. Light touch also reduced CoP sway compared to no touch, although the decrease in CoP sway was less effective than with heavy touch, particularly on the foam surface. The forces that were applied to the touch plate during light touch preceded movements of the CoP, lending support to the suggestion of a feedforward mechanism in which fingertip inputs trigger the activation of postural muscles for controlling body sway. These results have clinical implications for understanding how patients with peripheral neuropathy may benefit from a cane for postural stability in stance.

Stabilization of thin liquid films by repulsive van der waals force

KAUST Repository

Li, Erqiang; Vakarelski, Ivan Uriev; Chan, Derek Y C; Thoroddsen, Sigurdur T

2014-01-01

Using high-speed video recording of bubble rise experiments, we study the stability of thin liquid films trapped between a rising bubble and a surfactant-free liquid-liquid meniscus interface. Using different combinations of nonpolar oils and water

A Multifeature Fusion Approach for Power System Transient Stability Assessment Using PMU Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Li

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Taking full advantage of synchrophasors provided by GPS-based wide-area measurement system (WAMS, a novel VBpMKL-based transient stability assessment (TSA method through multifeature fusion is proposed in this paper. First, a group of classification features reflecting the transient stability characteristics of power systems are extracted from synchrophasors, and according to the different stages of the disturbance process they are broken into three nonoverlapped subsets; then a VBpMKL-based TSA model is built using multifeature fusion through combining feature spaces corresponding to each feature subset; and finally application of the proposed model to the IEEE 39-bus system and a real-world power system is demonstrated. The novelty of the proposed approach is that it improves the classification accuracy and reliability of TSA using multifeature fusion with synchrophasors. The application results on the test systems verify the effectiveness of the proposal.

Solar radiation pressure application for orbital motion stabilization near the Sun-Earth collinear libration point

Science.gov (United States)

Polyakhova, Elena; Shmyrov, Alexander; Shmyrov, Vasily

2018-05-01

Orbital maneuvering in a neighborhood of the collinear libration point L1 of Sun-Earth system has specific properties, primarily associated with the instability L1. For a long stay in this area of space the stabilization problem of orbital motion requires a solution. Numerical experiments have shown that for stabilization of motion it is requires very small control influence in comparison with the gravitational forces. On the other hand, the stabilization time is quite long - months, and possibly years. This makes it highly desirable to use solar pressure forces. In this paper we illustrate the solar sail possibilities for solving of stabilization problem in a neighborhood L1 with use of the model example.

Consideration of the restoring plan in subsidence prone areas through the development of ground stability assessment techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, Kwang-Soo; Kim, Im-Ho; Baek, Sang-Ho [Korea Institute of Geology Mining and Materials, Taejon (KR)] (and others)

1999-12-01

This report consists of 2 subjects. (1) Consideration of the restoring plan in subsidence prone areas through the development of ground stability assessment techniques : The number of mines at rest as well as closed have abruptly increased since the 1980's, which has caused subsidence problems around the mined areas. To protect such places from damage due to subsidence, it is necessary to develop the assessment techniques of ground stability and make restoration plan. To achieve this goal, the site investigation should have been conducted before the subsidence events occurred, but ground behaviors around the places where a vertical movement is expected and recognised in advance before the occurrence of the subsidence events. In this study ground stability analysis for the area surrounding the Moo-Geuk Mine, located close to a city, was conducted and the measurements were recorded. The objectives of the present study include, the development of a risk assessment technique for the subsidence using GIS tool, an evaluation of the numerical methods related to the site investigation and the ground stability analysis, the application of the numerical tools to the present problems. (2) Integration of coal mine data and use of remote sensing in investigation of coal mine area : This study attempt to integrate the previous geological and mining data to avoid confusions often occurred when accessing source data. And the investigation of underground mining place using remote sensing method is the other effort to assure the geographic locations of mining places as well as to find out unknown mining place. The sample region for examining the remote sensing method is the Chungnam coal field, which locates in the middle western part of South Korea. Detailed investigation was held on the Seongju area, locating north eastern part of the coal field. (author). 54 refs., tabs., figs.

Validity and reproducibility of crutch force and heart rate measurements to assess energy expenditure of paraplegic gait

NARCIS (Netherlands)

IJzerman, Maarten Joost; Baardman, Gert; van 't Hof, Martin A.; Boom, H.B.K.; Hermens, Hermanus J.; Veltink, Petrus H.

1999-01-01

Objective: To determine the validity and reproducibility of heart rate (HR) and crutch force measurements to estimate energy expenditure during paraplegic walking. Usefulness of these outcome measures in comparative trials was assessed in terms of responsiveness. Design: Cross-sectional validity was

Assessing the Benefits of Global Climate Stabilization Within an Integrated Modeling Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Beach, R. H.

2015-12-01

Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, higher temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and other climate change impacts have already begun to affect US agriculture and forestry, with impacts expected to become more substantial in the future. There have been a number of studies of climate change impacts on agriculture or forestry. However, relatively few studies explore climate change impacts on both agriculture and forests simultaneously, including the interactions between alternative land uses and implications for market outcomes. Additionally, there is a lack of detailed analyses of the effects of stabilization scenarios relative to unabated emissions scenarios. Such analyses are important for developing estimates of the benefits of those stabilization scenarios, which can play a vital role in assessing tradeoffs associated with allocating resources across alternative mitigation and adaptation activities. We provide an analysis of the potential benefits of global climate change mitigation for US agriculture and forestry through 2100, accounting for landowner decisions regarding land use, crop mix, and management practices. The analytic approach involves a combination of climate models, a crop process model (EPIC), a dynamic vegetation model used for forests (MC1), and an economic model of the US forestry and agricultural sector (FASOM-GHG). We find substantial impacts on productivity, commodity markets, and consumer and producer welfare for the stabilization scenario relative to unabated climate change, though the magnitude and direction of impacts vary across regions and commodities. Although there is variability in welfare impacts across climate simulations, we find positive net benefits from stabilization in all cases, with cumulative impacts ranging from 32.7 billion to 54.5 billion over the period 2015-2100. Our estimates contribute to the literature on potential benefits of GHG mitigation and can help inform policy decisions weighing alternative

Comparison of postural stability between injured and uninjured ballet dancers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Cheng-Feng; Lee, I-Jung; Liao, Jung-Hsien; Wu, Hong-Wen; Su, Fong-Chin

2011-06-01

Ballet movements require a limited base of support; thus, ballet dancers require a high level of postural control. However, postural stability in ballet dancers is still unclear and needs to be understood. To evaluate ballet dancers' postural stability in performing single-leg standing, the en pointe task, and the first and fifth positions and to determine differences in task performance among healthy nondancers, healthy dancers, and dancers with ankle sprains. Controlled laboratory study. Injured dancers, uninjured dancers, and nondancers were recruited for this study (N = 33 age-matched participants; n= 11 per group). The tasks tested were single-leg standing with eyes open and closed, first position, fifth position, and en pointe. Center of pressure parameters were calculated from the ground-reaction force collected with 1 force plate. Analysis of variance was used to assess the differences of center of pressure parameters among 3 groups in single-leg standing; independent t test was used to examine the differences of center of pressure parameters between injured and uninjured dancers. During single-leg standing, injured dancers had significantly greater maximum displacement in the medial-lateral direction and total trajectory of center of pressure, compared with the uninjured dancers and nondancers. During the first and fifth positions, the injured dancers demonstrated significantly greater standard deviation of center of pressure position in the medial-lateral and anterior-posterior directions, compared with the uninjured dancers. During en pointe, the injured dancers had significantly greater maximum displacement in the medial-lateral direction and the anterior-posterior direction, compared with the uninjured dancers. The injured and uninjured dancers demonstrated differences in postural stability in the medial-lateral direction during single-leg standing and the ballet postures. Although the injured dancers received ballet training, their postural stability

Design of force-cooled conductors for large fusion magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dresner, L.; Lue, J.W.

1977-01-01

One type of conductor under consideration for tokamak toroidal field (TF) magnets is a cable-in-conduit cooled by supercritical helium in forced convection. The main problem is designing such force-cooled conductors (fcc) is to maintain adequate stability while keeping the pumping power tolerably low. The transit time of the helium through a coil is many minutes. Since recovery of the conductor from a thermomechanical perturbation takes on the order of tens of milliseconds, for purposes of calculation, the inventory of helium available to promote recovery is finite. This means that a large enough perturbation will quench the conductor. We can then judge the stability of a fcc by the maximum perturbation of some specified type against which the conductor is stable, i.e., can still return to the superconducting state. The simplest type of perturbation is a sudden, uniform heat input over the entire length of the conductor. The maximum, sudden, uniform heat input per unit volume of metal ΔH is called the ''stability margin.''

Attainment and retention of force moderation following laparoscopic resection training with visual force feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez, Rafael; Onar-Thomas, Arzu; Travascio, Francesco; Asfour, Shihab

2017-11-01

Laparoscopic training with visual force feedback can lead to immediate improvements in force moderation. However, the long-term retention of this kind of learning and its potential decay are yet unclear. A laparoscopic resection task and force sensing apparatus were designed to assess the benefits of visual force feedback training. Twenty-two male university students with no previous experience in laparoscopy underwent relevant FLS proficiency training. Participants were randomly assigned to either a control or treatment group. Both groups trained on the task for 2 weeks as follows: initial baseline, sixteen training trials, and post-test immediately after. The treatment group had visual force feedback during training, whereas the control group did not. Participants then performed four weekly test trials to assess long-term retention of training. Outcomes recorded were maximum pulling and pushing forces, completion time, and rated task difficulty. Extreme maximum pulling force values were tapered throughout both the training and retention periods. Average maximum pushing forces were significantly lowered towards the end of training and during retention period. No significant decay of applied force learning was found during the 4-week retention period. Completion time and rated task difficulty were higher during training, but results indicate that the difference eventually fades during the retention period. Significant differences in aptitude across participants were found. Visual force feedback training improves on certain aspects of force moderation in a laparoscopic resection task. Results suggest that with enough training there is no significant decay of learning within the first month of the retention period. It is essential to account for differences in aptitude between individuals in this type of longitudinal research. This study shows how an inexpensive force measuring system can be used with an FLS Trainer System after some retrofitting. Surgical

Glenohumeral stability in simulated rotator cuff tears

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steenbrink, F.; Groot, J.H.; Veeger, H.E.J.; Helm, F.C.; Rozing, P.M.

2009-01-01

Rotator cuff tears disrupt the force balance in the shoulder and the glenohumeral joint in particular, resulting in compromised arm elevation torques. The trade-off between glenohumeral torque and glenohumeral stability is not yet understood. We hypothesize that compensation of lost abduction torque

Hazard assessment of the stability of a cavern roof along the coastline

Science.gov (United States)

Reina, A.; Lollino, P.

2009-04-01

This work concerns the hazard assessment about the stability of a large shallow depth cavern, located along the coastline rocky sector of Polignano town (Apulia, Southern Italy) under an intensely urbanised area. This cavern, which lies at the sea level, has been created by a prolonged process of sea erosion within a rock mass formed of a lower stratified limestone mass and an upper Gravina Calcarenite mass. The thickness of the cavern roof, which has a dome shape, is less than 10 metres in the centre. Important buildings, as hotels and private houses, are located just above the top of the roof. Erosion processes have been observed to be still active along the whole cavern due to climate factors and, in particular, to sea salt weathering and sea spray effects. In 2007 a large calcarenite block, 3 m large, fell down from the cavern roof and consequently a field investigation campaign was carried out for a rational stabilization plan in order to understand the current stability conditions of the roof and the potential failure mechanism. Therefore, a thorough geo-structural survey has firstly been carried out, together with laboratory and in-situ testing for measuring the physical and mechanical properties of the calcarenite rock and of the corresponding joints. A monitoring system has also been planned and installed in order to measure the erosional rate and the block displacements in the cavern.

Factors influencing initial cup stability in total hip arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Amirouche, Farid; Solitro, Giovanni; Broviak, Stefanie; Gonzalez, Mark; Goldstein, Wayne; Barmada, Riad

2014-12-01

One of the main goals in total hip replacement is to preserve the integrity of the hip kinematics, by well positioning the cup and to make sure its initial stability is congruent and attained. Achieving the latter is not trivial. A finite element model of the cup-bone interface simulating a realistic insertion and analysis of different scenarios of cup penetration, insertion, under-reaming and loading is investigated to determine certain measurable factors sensitivity to stress-strain outcome. The insertion force during hammering and its relation to the cup penetration during implantation is also investigated with the goal of determining the initial stability of the acetabular cup during total hip arthroplasty. The mathematical model was run in various configurations to simulate 1 and 2mm of under-reaming at various imposed insertion distances to mimic hammering and insertion of cup insertion into the pelvis. Surface contact and micromotion at the cup-bone interface were evaluated after simulated cup insertion and post-operative loading conditions. The results suggest a direct correlation between under-reaming and insertion force used to insert the acetabular cup on the micromotion and fixation at the cup-bone interface. While increased under-reaming and insertion force result in an increase amount of stability at the interface, approximately the same percentage of surface contact and micromotion reduction can be achieved with less insertion force. We need to exercise caution to determine the optimal configuration which achieves a good conformity without approaching the yield strength for bone. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Limits of Nuclear Stability

CERN Document Server

Nerlo-Pomorska, B; Kleban, M

2003-01-01

The modern version of the liquid-drop model (LSD) is compared with the macroscopic part of the binding energy evaluated within the Hartree-Fock- Bogoliubov procedure with the Gogny force and the relativistic mean field theory. The parameters of a liquid-drop like mass formula which approximate on the average the self-consistent results are compared with other models. The limits of nuclear stability predicted by these models are discussed.

Damage Stability Assessment of an HSC after Grounding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravn, Erik Sonne; Simonsen, Bo Cerup; Baatrup, Jan

2000-01-01

Currently a substantial effort is done within the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on revision of the High Speed Craft (HSC) Code. A main issue is the extent of bottom damage and raking damage due to grounding on hard rocks and the corresponding requirements to the damage stability...... of the vessel. It has been found that high-speed craft can experience a damage length up to 100% of the ship length. It has, however, also been argued that the damage stability requirements should reflect the size and probability of the damage with a reduction of the demand for the largest damages.......In the present paper a detailed grounding and damage stability analysis is carried out for two specific HSC, a mono-hull (86 m) and a catamaran (69 m). First various grounding scenarios are considered with different values of the forward speed and ground geometry. The results indicate that 100% bottom damage...

Climate hypersensitivity to solar forcing?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Soon

2000-05-01

Full Text Available We compare the equilibrium climate responses of a quasi-dynamical energy balance model to radiative forcing by equivalent changes in CO2, solar total irradiance (Stot and solar UV (SUV. The response is largest in the SUV case, in which the imposed UV radiative forcing is preferentially absorbed in the layer above 250 mb, in contrast to the weak response from global-columnar radiative loading by increases in CO2 or Stot. The hypersensitive response of the climate system to solar UV forcing is caused by strongly coupled feedback involving vertical static stability, tropical thick cirrus ice clouds and stratospheric ozone. This mechanism offers a plausible explanation of the apparent hypersensitivity of climate to solar forcing, as suggested by analyses of recent climatic records. The model hypersensitivity strongly depends on climate parameters, especially cloud radiative properties, but is effective for arguably realistic values of these parameters. The proposed solar forcing mechanism should be further confirmed using other models (e.g., general circulation models that may better capture radiative and dynamical couplings of the troposphere and stratosphere.Key words: Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (climatology · general or miscellaneous · Solar physics · astrophysics · and astronomy (ultraviolet emissions

Crack Driving Forces in a Multilayered Coating System for Ceramic Matrix Composite Substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosn, Louis J.; Zhu, Dongming; Miller, Robert A.

2005-01-01

The effects of the top coating thickness, modulus and shrinkage strains on the crack driving forces for a baseline multilayer Yttria-Stabilized-Zirconia/Mullite/Si thermal and environment barrier coating (TEBC) system for SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite substrates are determined for gas turbine applications. The crack driving forces increase with increasing modulus, and a low modulus thermal barrier coating material (below 10 GPa) will have no cracking issues under the thermal gradient condition analyzed. Since top coating sintering increases the crack driving forces with time, highly sintering resistant coatings are desirable to maintain a low tensile modulus and maintain a low crack driving force with time. Finite element results demonstrated that an advanced TEBC system, such as ZrO2/HfO2, which possesses improved sintering resistance and high temperature stability, exhibited excellent durability. A multi-vertical cracked structure with fine columnar spacing is an ideal strain tolerant coating capable of reducing the crack driving forces to an acceptable level even with a high modulus of 50 GPa.

Circuit Design of Surface Acoustic Wave Based Micro Force Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuanyuan Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Pressure sensors are commonly used in industrial production and mechanical system. However, resistance strain, piezoresistive sensor, and ceramic capacitive pressure sensors possess limitations, especially in micro force measurement. A surface acoustic wave (SAW based micro force sensor is designed in this paper, which is based on the theories of wavelet transform, SAW detection, and pierce oscillator circuits. Using lithium niobate as the basal material, a mathematical model is established to analyze the frequency, and a peripheral circuit is designed to measure the micro force. The SAW based micro force sensor is tested to show the reasonable design of detection circuit and the stability of frequency and amplitude.

Environmental Assessment for Proposed Security Forces Operations Facility, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Meyer, Elizabeth; Myklebust, Jessica; Denier, James; Christner, Jennifer; Fontaine, Kathyrn

2006-01-01

The United States Air Force (USAF) has prepared this EA in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act to evaluate the potential environmental and social impacts from the construction and operation of the proposed SFOF...

Proportional Derivative Active Force Control for “X” Configuration Quadcopter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niam Tamami

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper present a control method “x” configuration quadcopter. The control method used PDAFC (Proportional Derivative Active Force Control. PD is used to stabilize quadcopter, and AFC is used to reject uncertainty disturbance (e.g. wind by estimate disturbance torque value of quadcopter. By adding PD with AFC, better result is obtained, AFC can minimize uncertainty disturbance effect. The sensitivity toward uncertainty disturbance can be set from sensitivity constant to get best performance of disturbance rejection. Stability analysis of PDAFC was evaluated by Lyapunov stability theory.

Stability of a nonlinear second order equation under parametric bounded noise excitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiebe, Richard; Xie, Wei-Chau

2016-01-01

The motivation for the following work is a structural column under dynamic axial loads with both deterministic (harmonic transmitted forces from the surrounding structure) and random (wind and/or earthquake) loading components. The bounded noise used herein is a sinusoid with an argument composed of a random (Wiener) process deviation about a mean frequency. By this approach, a noise parameter may be used to investigate the behavior through the spectrum from simple harmonic forcing, to a bounded random process with very little harmonic content. The stability of both the trivial and non-trivial stationary solutions of an axially-loaded column (which is modeled as a second order nonlinear equation) under parametric bounded noise excitation is investigated by use of Lyapunov exponents. Specifically the effect of noise magnitude, amplitude of the forcing, and damping on stability of a column is investigated. First order averaging is employed to obtain analytical approximations of the Lyapunov exponents of the trivial solution. For the non-trivial stationary solution however, the Lyapunov exponents are obtained via Monte Carlo simulation as the stability equations become analytically intractable. (paper)

Operation Allied Force: Setting a New Precedent for Humanitarian Intervention?

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Walsh, Thomas

2000-01-01

.... Operation Allied Force was conducted without the explicit authorization of the United Nations Security Council, but was justified by NATO allies as a means to bring peace and stability to Kosovo...

Stabilization of Teleoperation Systems with Communication Delays: An IMC Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuling Li

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The presence of time delays in communication introduces a limitation to the stability of bilateral teleoperation systems. This paper considers internal model control (IMC design of linear teleoperation system with time delays, and the stability of the closed-loop system is analyzed. It is shown that the stability is guaranteed delay-independently. The passivity assumption for external forces is removed for the proposed design of teleoperation systems. The behavior of the resulting teleoperation system is illustrated by simulations.

Investigation of the Adaptability of Transient Stability Assessment Methods to Real-Time Operation

OpenAIRE

Weckesser, Johannes Tilman Gabriel; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Sommer, Stefan; Østergaard, Jacob

2012-01-01

In this paper, an investigation of the adaptability of available transient stability assessment methods to real-time operation and their real-time performance is carried out. Two approaches based on Lyapunov’s method and the equal area criterion are analyzed. The results allow to determine the runtime of each method with respect to the number of inputs. Furthermore, it allows to identify, which method is preferable in case of changes in the power system such as the integration of distributed ...

Advanced techniques for the analysis of crisis stability, deterrence, and latency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Canavan, G.H.

1997-12-01

Studies on crisis stability, deterrence, and latency are presented in chronological order, which also reflects their logical order of development, captures the main features of stability analysis; relates first strike, crisis, and arms control stability as seen from US and Russian perspective; and addresses questions such as whether uncertainty in damage preference or defense deployment can be destabilizing. It illustrates the problems with alternative metrics, latency and reconstitution, and deep unilateral and proportional force reductions.

Field investigation of keyblock stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yow, J.L. Jr.

1985-04-01

Discontinuities in a rock mass can intersect an excavation surface to form discrete blocks (keyblocks) which can be unstable. This engineering problem is divided into two parts: block identification, and evaluation of block stability. One stable keyblock and thirteen fallen keyblocks were observed in field investigations at the Nevada Test Site. Nine blocks were measured in detail sufficient to allow back-analysis of their stability. Measurements included block geometry, and discontinuity roughness and compressive strength. Back-analysis correctly predicted stability or failure in all but two cases. These two exceptions involved situations that violated the stress assumptions of the stability calculations. Keyblock faces correlated well with known joint set orientations. The effect of tunnel orientation on keyblock frequency was apparent. Back-analysis of physical models successfully predicted block pullout force for two-dimensional models of unit thickness. Two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) analytic models for the stability of simple pyramidal keyblocks were examined. Calculated stability is greater for 3D analyses than for 2D analyses. Calculated keyblock stability increases with larger in situ stress magnitudes, larger lateral stress ratios, and larger shear strengths. Discontinuity stiffness controls block displacement more strongly than it does stability itself. Large keyblocks are less stable than small ones, and stability increases as blocks become more slender. Rock mass temperature decreases reduce the confining stress magnitudes and can lead to failure. The pattern of stresses affecting each block face explains conceptually the occurrence of pyramidal keyblocks that are truncated near their apex

Attentional Focusing Instructions and Force Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David C Marchant

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Research progress assessing the role of attentional focusing instructions on skill acquisition and performance has lead researchers to apply this approach to force production tasks. Initial converging evidence indicates that force production tasks are sensitive to verbal instruction; externally focused instructions (onto movement outcomes, or onto the object force is being exerted against are shown to be more beneficial than internally focused instructions (focusing attention onto the movements being executed. These benefits are observed for maximal and accurate force production, as well as the maintenance of force production in prolonged tasks. A range of mechanisms are identified supporting the proposal that an external focus promotes movement efficiency in line with energy and effort conservation. Future research is required to assess how this developing body of work interacts with the broader understanding of psychological and physiological factors implicated in the effective production, maintenance and limitation of maximal or sub-maximal forces.

New possibilities for slope stability assessment of spoil banks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Radl, A [Palivovy Kombinat, Vresova (Czechoslovakia)

1991-03-01

Discusses problems associated with slope stability of spoil banks consisting of sedimentary rocks from brown coal surface mining. Effects of rock physical properties on slope stability are analyzed: grain size distribution, compression strength, moisture content, angle of internal friction, etc. Mechanism of plastic slope deformation which occurs during a landslide is evaluated. Formulae for calculating slope stability considering stress distribution in a spoil bank (including all the main factors that influence stresses) are derived. Practical use of the gamma-gamma logging and logging schemes used in geodetic surveys of unstable spoil banks in Czechoslovakia (the Vintirov spoil bank in the Sokolov brown coal district) are discussed. 5 refs.

Assessment of the Prony's method for BWR stability analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortiz-Villafuerte, Javier; Castillo-Duran, Rogelio; Palacios-Hernandez, Javier C.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → This paper describes a method to determine the degree of stability of a BWR. → Performance comparison between Prony's and common AR techniques is presented. → Benchmark data and actual BWR transient data are used for comparison. → DR and f results are presented and discussed. → The Prony's method is shown to be a robust technique for BWR stability. - Abstract: It is known that Boiling Water Reactors are susceptible to present power oscillations in regions of high power and low coolant flow, in the power-flow operational map. It is possible to fall in one of such instability regions during reactor startup, since both power and coolant flow are being increased but not proportionally. One other possibility for falling into those areas is the occurrence of a trip of recirculation pumps. Stability monitoring in such cases can be difficult, because the amount or quality of power signal data required for calculation of the stability key parameters may not be enough to provide reliable results in an adequate time range. In this work, the Prony's Method is presented as one complementary alternative to determine the degree of stability of a BWR, through time series data. This analysis method can provide information about decay ratio and oscillation frequency from power signals obtained during transient events. However, so far not many applications in Boiling Water Reactors operation have been reported and supported to establish the scope of using such analysis for actual transient events. This work presents first a comparison of decay ratio and frequency oscillation results obtained by Prony's method and those results obtained by the participants of the Forsmark 1 and 2 Boiling Water Reactor Stability Benchmark using diverse techniques. Then, a comparison of decay ratio and frequency oscillation results is performed for four real BWR transient event data, using Prony's method and two other techniques based on an autoregressive modeling. The four

Beijing’s Quest for Stability in its Neighborhood:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Odgaard, Liselotte

2017-01-01

on the use of force, on international legitimacy, and on institutional frameworks for security management. As China is increasingly asserting its security, economic, and institutional interests in Central Asia, similarities and differences have become apparent in relations with Russia. Increased mutual...... concern for continued regional stability has encouraged Beijing and Moscow to coordinate their policies across a wide range of issue areas. Stability allows them to focus attention and resources on each of their different geostrategic priorities....

Phase stability in yttria-stabilized zirconia from first principles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carbogno, Christian; Scheffler, Matthias [Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin (Germany); Levi, Carlos G.; Van de Walle, Chris G. [Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)

2012-07-01

Zirconia based ceramics are of pivotal importance for a variety of industrial technologies, e.g., for thermal barrier coatings in gas and airplane turbines. Naturally, the stability of such coatings at elevated temperatures plays a critical role in these applications. It is well known that an aliovalent doping of tetragonal ZrO{sub 2} with yttria, which induces oxygen vacancies due to charge conservation, increases its thermodynamic stability. However, the atomistic mechanisms that determine the phase stability of such yttria-stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) coatings are not yet fully understood. In this work, we use density functional theory calculations to assess the electronic structure of the different YSZ polymorphs at various levels of doping. With the help of population analysis schemes, we are able to unravel the intrinsic mechanisms that govern the interaction in YSZ and that can so explain the relative stabilities of the various polymorphs. We critically compare our results to experimental measurements and discuss the implications of our findings with respect to other oxides.

Capillary force between wetted nanometric contacts and its application to atomic force microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Crassous, Jérôme; Ciccotti, Matteo; Charlaix, Elisabeth

2011-04-05

We extend to the case of perfect wetting the exact calculation of Orr et al. (J. Fluid. Mech. 1975, 67, 723) for a pendular ring connecting two dry surfaces. We derive an approximate analytical expression for the capillary force between two highly curved surfaces covered by a wetting liquid film. The domain of validity of this expression is assessed and extended by a custom-made numerical simulation based on the full exact mathematical description. In the case of attractive liquid-solid van der Waals interactions, the capillary force increases monotonically with decreasing vapor pressure up to several times its saturation value. This accurate description of the capillary force makes it possible to estimate the adhesion force between wet nanoparticles; it can also be used to quantitatively interpret pull-off forces measured by atomic force microscopy.

Force-activatable biosensor enables single platelet force mapping directly by fluorescence imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yongliang; LeVine, Dana N; Gannon, Margaret; Zhao, Yuanchang; Sarkar, Anwesha; Hoch, Bailey; Wang, Xuefeng

2018-02-15

Integrin-transmitted cellular forces are critical for platelet adhesion, activation, aggregation and contraction during hemostasis and thrombosis. Measuring and mapping single platelet forces are desired in both research and clinical applications. Conventional force-to-strain based cell traction force microscopies have low resolution which is not ideal for cellular force mapping in small platelets. To enable platelet force mapping with submicron resolution, we developed a force-activatable biosensor named integrative tension sensor (ITS) which directly converts molecular tensions to fluorescent signals, therefore enabling cellular force mapping directly by fluorescence imaging. With ITS, we mapped cellular forces in single platelets at 0.4µm resolution. We found that platelet force distribution has strong polarization which is sensitive to treatment with the anti-platelet drug tirofiban, suggesting that the ITS force map can report anti-platelet drug efficacy. The ITS also calibrated integrin molecular tensions in platelets and revealed two distinct tension levels: 12-54 piconewton (nominal values) tensions generated during platelet adhesion and tensions above 54 piconewton generated during platelet contraction. Overall, the ITS is a powerful biosensor for the study of platelet mechanobiology, and holds great potential in antithrombotic drug development and assessing platelet activity in health and disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

More than a safety line: jump-stabilizing silk of salticids.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yung-Kang; Liao, Chen-Pan; Tsai, Feng-Yueh; Chi, Kai-Jung

2013-10-06

Salticids are diurnal hunters known for acute vision, remarkable predatory strategies and jumping ability. Like other jumpers, they strive for stability and smooth landings. Instead of using inertia from swinging appendages or aerodynamic forces by flapping wings as in other organisms, we show that salticids use a different mechanism for in-air stability by using dragline silk, which was previously believed to function solely as a safety line. Analyses from high-speed images of jumps by the salticid Hasarius adansoni demonstrate that despite being subject to rearward pitch at take-off, spiders with dragline silk can change body orientation in the air. Instantaneous drag and silk forces calculated from kinematic data further suggest a comparable contribution to deceleration and energy dissipation, and reveal that adjustments by the spider to the silk force can reverse its body pitch for a predictable and optimal landing. Without silk, upright-landing spiders would slip or even tumble, deferring completion of landing. Thus, for salticids, dragline silk is critical for dynamic stability and prey-capture efficiency. The dynamic functioning of dragline silk revealed in this study can advance the understanding of silk's physiological control over material properties and its significance to spider ecology and evolution, and also provide inspiration for future manoeuvrable robot designs.

Physiological and methodological aspects of rate of force development assessment in human skeletal muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Rosell, David; Pareja-Blanco, Fernando; Aagaard, Per; González-Badillo, Juan José

2017-12-20

Rate of force development (RFD) refers to the ability of the neuromuscular system to increase contractile force from a low or resting level when muscle activation is performed as quickly as possible, and it is considered an important muscle strength parameter, especially for athletes in sports requiring high-speed actions. The assessment of RFD has been used for strength diagnosis, to monitor the effects of training interventions in both healthy populations and patients, discriminate high-level athletes from those of lower levels, evaluate the impairment in mechanical muscle function after acute bouts of eccentric muscle actions and estimate the degree of fatigue and recovery after acute exhausting exercise. Notably, the evaluation of RFD in human skeletal muscle is a complex task as influenced by numerous distinct methodological factors including mode of contraction, type of instruction, method used to quantify RFD, devices used for force/torque recording and ambient temperature. Another important aspect is our limited understanding of the mechanisms underpinning rapid muscle force production. Therefore, this review is primarily focused on (i) describing the main mechanical characteristics of RFD; (ii) analysing various physiological factors that influence RFD; and (iii) presenting and discussing central biomechanical and methodological factors affecting the measurement of RFD. The intention of this review is to provide more methodological and analytical coherency on the RFD concept, which may aid to clarify the thinking of coaches and sports scientists in this area. © 2017 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessment of Physical Stability and Antioxidant Activity of Polysiloxane Polyalkyl Polyether Copolymer-Based Creams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atif Ali

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the present work was to investigate the changes on physical stability (color, creaming, liquefaction, pH, conductivity, centrifugation, viscosity and rheological parameters by non-ionic surfactant polysiloxane polyalkyl polyether copolymer based creams following inclusion of plant extract containing phenolic compounds. The antioxidant activity of the plant extract alone and after addition in the cream was assessed using the stable free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH assay. Physical stability was assessed by submitting the creams to storage at 8°C, 25°C, 40°C, and at 40°C with 70% RH (relative humidity for a period of two months. Physical characteristics of polysiloxane polyalkyl polyether copolymer based creams, that is, color, creaming, liquefaction, centrifugation and pH were noted at various intervals for 2 months. The viscosities and rheological behavior of creams were determined using a rotational rheometer. Data were analyzed by using Brookfield Software Rheocalc version (2.6 with IPC Paste and Power Law (PL math models. Cream with plant extract showed pseudo plastic behaviour with decreasing on viscosity. The Acacia nilotica (AN extract alone and the cream containing this extract showed great antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities. Power Law and IPC analysis were found to fit all the rheograms.

The effectiveness of FES-evoked EMG potentials to assess muscle force and fatigue in individuals with spinal cord injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibitoye, Morufu Olusola; Estigoni, Eduardo H; Hamzaid, Nur Azah; Wahab, Ahmad Khairi Abdul; Davis, Glen M

2014-07-14

The evoked electromyographic signal (eEMG) potential is the standard index used to monitor both electrical changes within the motor unit during muscular activity and the electrical patterns during evoked contraction. However, technical and physiological limitations often preclude the acquisition and analysis of the signal especially during functional electrical stimulation (FES)-evoked contractions. Hence, an accurate quantification of the relationship between the eEMG potential and FES-evoked muscle response remains elusive and continues to attract the attention of researchers due to its potential application in the fields of biomechanics, muscle physiology, and rehabilitation science. We conducted a systematic review to examine the effectiveness of eEMG potentials to assess muscle force and fatigue, particularly as a biofeedback descriptor of FES-evoked contractions in individuals with spinal cord injury. At the outset, 2867 citations were identified and, finally, fifty-nine trials met the inclusion criteria. Four hypotheses were proposed and evaluated to inform this review. The results showed that eEMG is effective at quantifying muscle force and fatigue during isometric contraction, but may not be effective during dynamic contractions including cycling and stepping. Positive correlation of up to r = 0.90 (p peak-to-peak amplitude of the eEMG and the decline in the force output during fatiguing isometric contractions has been reported. In the available prediction models, the performance index of the eEMG signal to estimate the generated muscle force ranged from 3.8% to 34% for 18 s to 70 s ahead of the actual muscle force generation. The strength and inherent limitations of the eEMG signal to assess muscle force and fatigue were evident from our findings with implications in clinical management of spinal cord injury (SCI) population.

The Effectiveness of FES-Evoked EMG Potentials to Assess Muscle Force and Fatigue in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morufu Olusola Ibitoye

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The evoked electromyographic signal (eEMG potential is the standard index used to monitor both electrical changes within the motor unit during muscular activity and the electrical patterns during evoked contraction. However, technical and physiological limitations often preclude the acquisition and analysis of the signal especially during functional electrical stimulation (FES-evoked contractions. Hence, an accurate quantification of the relationship between the eEMG potential and FES-evoked muscle response remains elusive and continues to attract the attention of researchers due to its potential application in the fields of biomechanics, muscle physiology, and rehabilitation science. We conducted a systematic review to examine the effectiveness of eEMG potentials to assess muscle force and fatigue, particularly as a biofeedback descriptor of FES-evoked contractions in individuals with spinal cord injury. At the outset, 2867 citations were identified and, finally, fifty-nine trials met the inclusion criteria. Four hypotheses were proposed and evaluated to inform this review. The results showed that eEMG is effective at quantifying muscle force and fatigue during isometric contraction, but may not be effective during dynamic contractions including cycling and stepping. Positive correlation of up to r = 0.90 (p < 0.05 between the decline in the peak-to-peak amplitude of the eEMG and the decline in the force output during fatiguing isometric contractions has been reported. In the available prediction models, the performance index of the eEMG signal to estimate the generated muscle force ranged from 3.8% to 34% for 18 s to 70 s ahead of the actual muscle force generation. The strength and inherent limitations of the eEMG signal to assess muscle force and fatigue were evident from our findings with implications in clinical management of spinal cord injury (SCI population.

Turbulence and the Stabilization Principle

Science.gov (United States)

Zak, Michail

2010-01-01

Further results of research, reported in several previous NASA Tech Briefs articles, were obtained on a mathematical formalism for postinstability motions of a dynamical system characterized by exponential divergences of trajectories leading to chaos (including turbulence). To recapitulate: Fictitious control forces are introduced to couple the dynamical equations with a Liouville equation that describes the evolution of the probability density of errors in initial conditions. These forces create a powerful terminal attractor in probability space that corresponds to occurrence of a target trajectory with probability one. The effect in ordinary perceived three-dimensional space is to suppress exponential divergences of neighboring trajectories without affecting the target trajectory. Con sequently, the postinstability motion is represented by a set of functions describing the evolution of such statistical quantities as expectations and higher moments, and this representation is stable. The previously reported findings are analyzed from the perspective of the authors Stabilization Principle, according to which (1) stability is recognized as an attribute of mathematical formalism rather than of underlying physics and (2) a dynamical system that appears unstable when modeled by differentiable functions only can be rendered stable by modifying the dynamical equations to incorporate intrinsic stochasticity.

Moving from laboratory to real life conditions: Influence on the assessment of variability and stability of gait.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamburini, Paola; Storm, Fabio; Buckley, Chris; Bisi, Maria Cristina; Stagni, Rita; Mazzà, Claudia

2018-01-01

The availability of wearable sensors allows shifting gait analysis from the traditional laboratory settings, to daily life conditions. However, limited knowledge is available about whether alterations associated to different testing environment (e.g. indoor or outdoor) and walking protocols (e.g. free or controlled), result from actual differences in the motor behaviour of the tested subjects or from the sensitivity to these changes of the indexes adopted for the assessment. In this context, it was hypothesized that testing environment and walking protocols would not modify motor control stability in the gait of young healthy adults, who have a mature and structured gait pattern, but rather the variability of their motor pattern. To test this hypothesis, data from trunk and shank inertial sensors were collected from 19 young healthy participants during four walking tasks in different environments (indoor and outdoor) and in both controlled (i.e. following a predefined straight path) and free conditions. Results confirmed what hypothesized: variability indexes (Standard deviation, Coefficient of variation and Poincaré plots) were significantly influenced by both environment and walking conditions. Stability indexes (Harmonic ratio, Short term Lyapunov exponents, Recurrence quantification analysis and Sample entropy), on the contrary, did not highlight any change in the motor control. In conclusion, this study highlighted an influence of environment and testing condition on the assessment of specific characteristics of gait (i.e. variability and stability). In particular, for young healthy adults, both environment and testing conditions affect gait variability indexes, whereas neither affect gait stability indexes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Non-monotonic resonance in a spatially forced Lengyel-Epstein model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haim, Lev [Physics Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105 (Israel); Department of Oncology, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva 84101 (Israel); Hagberg, Aric [Center for Nonlinear Studies, Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States); Meron, Ehud [Physics Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105 (Israel); Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, BIDR, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 84990 (Israel)

2015-06-15

We study resonant spatially periodic solutions of the Lengyel-Epstein model modified to describe the chlorine dioxide-iodine-malonic acid reaction under spatially periodic illumination. Using multiple-scale analysis and numerical simulations, we obtain the stability ranges of 2:1 resonant solutions, i.e., solutions with wavenumbers that are exactly half of the forcing wavenumber. We show that the width of resonant wavenumber response is a non-monotonic function of the forcing strength, and diminishes to zero at sufficiently strong forcing. We further show that strong forcing may result in a π/2 phase shift of the resonant solutions, and argue that the nonequilibrium Ising-Bloch front bifurcation can be reversed. We attribute these behaviors to an inherent property of forcing by periodic illumination, namely, the increase of the mean spatial illumination as the forcing amplitude is increased.

Controller Synthesis for Periodically Forced Chaotic Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Basso, Michele; Genesio, Roberto; Giovanardi, Lorenzo

Delayed feedback controllers are an appealing tool for stabilization of periodic orbits in chaotic systems. Despite their conceptual simplicity, specific and reliable design procedures are difficult to obtain, partly also because of their inherent infinite-dimensional structure. This chapter considers the use of finite dimensional linear time invariant controllers for stabilization of periodic solutions in a general class of sinusoidally forced nonlinear systems. For such controllers — which can be interpreted as rational approximations of the delayed ones — we provide a computationally attractive synthesis technique based on Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs), by mixing results concerning absolute stability of nonlinear systems and robustness of uncertain linear systems. The resulting controllers prove to be effective for chaos suppression in electronic circuits and systems, as shown by two different application examples.

Cryostatic stability equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sydoriak, S.G.

1976-01-01

Although criteria for cryostatic stability of superconducting magnets cooled by pool boiling of liquid helium have been widely discussed the same cannot be said for magnets cooled by natural convection or forced flow boiling in channels. Boiling in narrow channels is shown to be qualitatively superior to pool boiling because the recovery heat flux equals the breakaway flux for narrow channels, whereas the two are markedly different in pool boiling. A second advantage of channel boiling is that it is well understood and calculable; pool peak nucleate boiling heat flux has been adequately measured only for boiling from the top of an immersed heated body. Peak boiling from the bottom is much less and (probably) depends strongly on the extent of the bottom surface. Equations are presented by which one can calculate the critical boiling heat flux for parallel wall vertical channels subject to either natural convection or forced flow boiling, with one or both walls heated. The one-heated-wall forced flow equation is discussed with regard to design of a spiral wound solenoid (pancake magnet) having a slippery insulating tape between the windings

Noise performance of frequency modulation Kelvin force microscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heinrich Diesinger

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Noise performance of a phase-locked loop (PLL based frequency modulation Kelvin force microscope (FM-KFM is assessed. Noise propagation is modeled step by step throughout the setup using both exact closed loop noise gains and an approximation known as “noise gain” from operational amplifier (OpAmp design that offers the advantage of decoupling the noise performance study from considerations of stability and ideal loop response. The bandwidth can be chosen depending on how much noise is acceptable and it is shown that stability is not an issue up to a limit that will be discussed. With thermal and detector noise as the only sources, both approaches yield PLL frequency noise expressions equal to the theoretical value for self-oscillating circuits and in agreement with measurement, demonstrating that the PLL components neither modify nor contribute noise. Kelvin output noise is then investigated by modeling the surrounding bias feedback loop. A design rule is proposed that allows choosing the AC modulation frequency for optimized sharing of the PLL bandwidth between Kelvin and topography loops. A crossover criterion determines as a function of bandwidth, temperature and probe parameters whether thermal or detector noise is the dominating noise source. Probe merit factors for both cases are then established, suggesting how to tackle noise performance by probe design. Typical merit factors of common probe types are compared. This comprehensive study is an encouraging step toward a more integral performance assessment and a remedy against focusing on single aspects and optimizing around randomly chosen key values.

α-Helix Unwinding as Force Buffer in Spectrins.

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Hirohide; Rico, Felix; Chipot, Christophe; Scheuring, Simon

2018-03-27

Spectrins are cytoskeletal proteins located at the inner face of the plasma membrane, making connections between membrane anchors and the actin cortex, and between actin filaments. Spectrins share a common structure forming a bundle of 3 α-helices and play a major role during cell deformation. Here, we used high-speed force spectroscopy and steered molecular dynamics simulations to understand the mechanical stability of spectrin, revealing a molecular force buffering function. We find that spectrin acts as a soft spring at short extensions (70-100 Å). Under continuous external stretching, its α-helices unwind, leading to a viscous mechanical response over larger extensions (100-300 Å), represented by a constant-force plateau in force/extension curves. This viscous force buffering emerges from a quasi-equilibrium competition between disruption and re-formation of α-helical hydrogen bonds. Our results suggest that, in contrast to β-sheet proteins, which unfold in a catastrophic event, α-helical spectrins dominantly unwind, providing a viscous force buffer over extensions about 5 times their folded length.

Impact of lysozyme on stability mechanism of nanozirconia aqueous suspension

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szewczuk-Karpisz, Katarzyna, E-mail: k.szewczuk-karpisz@wp.pl; Wiśniewska, Małgorzata

2016-08-30

Highlights: • Adsorption and stabilization-destabilization properties of lysozyme (LSZ) in the nanozirconia-biopolymer solution system were determined. • The stability measurements were performed using turbidimetric method. • Lysozyme macromolecules undergo adsorption on the ZrO{sub 2} surface under electrostatic adsorbent-adsorbate attraction, i.e. at pH 6 and 9. • The biopolymer adsorption impact on the zirconia stability varies at different pH values. - Abstract: The effect of lysozyme (LSZ) presence on the zirconium(IV) oxide (ZrO{sub 2}) aqueous suspension stability was examined. The applied zirconia contains mesopores (with a diameter about 30 nm) and its mean particle size is about 100 nm. To determine the stability mechanism of ZrO{sub 2} suspension in the biopolymer presence, the adsorption and electrokinetic (surface charge density and zeta potential) measurements were performed in the pH range 3–10. The lysozyme adsorption on the nanozirconia surface proceeds mainly through electrostatic forces. Under solid-polymer repulsion conditions, there is no adsorption of lysozyme (pH < 6, C{sub NaCl} 0.01 mol/dm{sup 3}). The increase of solution ionic strength to 0.2 mol/dm{sup 3} causes screening of unfavourable forces and biopolymer adsorption becomes possible. The LSZ addition to the ZrO{sub 2} suspension influences its stability. At pH 3, 4.6 and 7.6, slight improvement of the system stability was obtained. In turn, at pH 9 considerable destabilization of nanozirconia particles covered by polymeric layers occurs.

Linear and nonlinear stability in resistive magnetohydrodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tasso, H.

1994-01-01

A sufficient stability condition with respect to purely growing modes is derived for resistive magnetohydrodynamics. Its open-quotes nearnessclose quotes to necessity is analysed. It is found that for physically reasonable approximations the condition is in some sense necessary and sufficient for stability against all modes. This, together with hermiticity makes its analytical and numerical evaluation worthwhile for the optimization of magnetic configurations. Physically motivated test functions are introduced. This leads to simplified versions of the stability functional, which makes its evaluation and minimization more tractable. In the case of special force-free fields the simplified functional reduces to a good approximation of the exact stability functional derived by other means. It turns out that in this case the condition is also sufficient for nonlinear stability. Nonlinear stability in hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics is discussed especially in connection with open-quotes unconditionalclose quotes stability and with severe limitations on the Reynolds number. Two examples in magnetohydrodynamics show that the limitations on the Reynolds numbers can be removed but unconditional stability is preserved. Practical stability needs to be treated for limited levels of perturbations or for conditional stability. This implies some knowledge of the basin of attraction of the unperturbed solution, which is a very difficult problem. Finally, a special inertia-caused Hopf bifurcation is identified and the nature of the resulting attractors is discussed. 23 refs

On the spacecraft attitude stabilization in the orbital frame

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antipov Kirill A.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with spacecraft in the circular near-Earth orbit. The spacecraft interacts with geomagnetic field by the moments of Lorentz and magnetic forces. The octupole approximation of the Earth’s magnetic field is accepted. The spacecraft electromagnetic parameters, namely the electrostatic charge moment of the first order and the eigen magnetic moment are the controlled quasiperiodic functions. The control algorithms for the spacecraft electromagnetic parameters, which allows to stabilize the spacecraft attitude position in the orbital frame are obtained. The stability of the spacecraft stabilized orientation is proved both analytically and by PC computations.

Postural stability and occlusal status among Japanese elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Song-Yu, Xuan; Rodis, Omar M M; Ogata, Sagiri; Can-Hu, Jin; Nishimura, Michiko; Matsumura, Seishi

2012-06-01

There are still no data available on the relationship between postural stability and occlusal status among the elderly. To examine relationships between postural stability and occlusal status through a cohort study among elderly Japanese. Oral examination, occlusal status, postural stability and a questionnaire were conducted and given to 87 community-dwelling Japanese at enrolment. The average occlusal pressure of the female group was statistically higher than the male group while average occlusal pressure and postural stability length were lesser in the group with more remaining teeth. Postural stability area and number of remaining teeth showed statistically significant correlations. Postural stability length was lesser in the group with strong occlusal force. Furthermore, the number of decayed teeth was fewer in the good hygiene group. This study identified a close relationship between occlusal status and postural stability of Japanese older individuals. Occlusal hypofunction was observed more in those with occlusal problems, and a decrease in their occlusal functions resulted in postural instability. © 2011 The Gerodontology Society and John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Regional-Scale Forcing and Feedbacks from Alternative Scenarios of Global-Scale Land Use Change

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, A. D.; Chini, L. P.; Collins, W.; Janetos, A. C.; Mao, J.; Shi, X.; Thomson, A. M.; Torn, M. S.

2011-12-01

Future patterns of land use change depend critically on the degree to which terrestrial carbon management strategies, such as biological carbon sequestration and biofuels, are utilized in order to mitigate global climate change. Furthermore, land use change associated with terrestrial carbon management induces biogeophysical changes to surface energy budgets that perturb climate at regional and possibly global scales, activating different feedback processes depending on the nature and location of the land use change. As a first step in a broader effort to create an integrated earth system model, we examine two scenarios of future anthropogenic activity generated by the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM) within the full-coupled Community Earth System Model (CESM). Each scenario stabilizes radiative forcing from greenhouse gases and aerosols at 4.5 W/m^2. In the first, stabilization is achieved through a universal carbon tax that values terrestrial carbon equally with fossil carbon, leading to modest afforestation globally and low biofuel utilization. In the second scenario, stabilization is achieved with a tax on fossil fuel and industrial carbon alone. In this case, biofuel utilization increases dramatically and crop area expands to claim approximately 50% of forest cover globally. By design, these scenarios exhibit identical climate forcing from atmospheric constituents. Thus, differences among them can be attributed to the biogeophysical effects of land use change. In addition, we utilize offline radiative transfer and offline land model simulations to identify forcing and feedback mechanisms operating in different regions. We find that boreal deforestation has a strong climatic signature due to significant albedo change coupled with a regional-scale water vapor feedback. Tropical deforestation, on the other hand, has more subtle effects on climate. Globally, the two scenarios yield warming trends over the 21st century that differ by 0.5 degrees Celsius. This

Initial assessment of the MHD stability of TMX-U

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nexsen, W.E.

1983-01-01

In its operation to date TMX-U has reached values of beta which, for all except the hot electron beta, are close to the proposal values and has not encountered MHD stability problems. The hot electron beta values are presently limited by gyrotron output power and pulse length as well as ion confinement time. Further exploration of stability awaits full thermal barrier operation

Assessment of stability of trace elements in two natural matrix environmental standard reference materials. NIST-SRM 1547 Peach leaves and NIST-SRM 1566a Oyster Tissue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mackey, E.A.; Spatz, R.O.

2009-01-01

The NIST program for environmental Standard Reference Materials (SRM) includes materials covering a range of matrices, mass fraction values and analytes. For many SRMs, mass fraction data are accumulated, incidentally, over time, as these are used routinely for quality assurance purposes. Although these are not formal stability studies, data generated may be useful in assessing stability. To evaluate the potential for assessing material stability from incidental use of SRMs, results of neutron activation analysis performed from 1992 through 2008 were compiled for SRM 1547 Peach Leaves and SRM 1566a Oyster Tissue. Results indicate that incidental use of SRMs yields useful information on SRM stability. (author)

On the Stability of Periodic Mercury-type Rotations

Science.gov (United States)

Churkina, Tatyana E.; Stepanov, Sergey Y.

2017-12-01

We consider the stability of planar periodic Mercury-type rotations of a rigid body around its center of mass in an elliptical orbit in a central Newtonian field of forces. Mercurytype rotations mean that the body makes 3 turns around its center of mass during 2 revolutions of the center of mass in its orbit (resonance 3:2). These rotations can be 1) symmetrical 2π- periodic, 2) symmetrical 4π-periodic and 3) asymmetrical 4π-periodic. The stability of rotations of type 1) was investigated by A.P.Markeev. In our paper we present a nonlinear stability analysis for some rotations of types 2) and 3) in 3rd- and 4th-order resonant cases, in the nonresonant case and at the boundaries of regions of linear stability.

Stability of Class II fixed functional appliance therapy—a systematic review and meta-analysis

Science.gov (United States)

von Bremen, Julia; Ruf, Sabine

2016-01-01

Summary Objectives: To systematically search for scientific evidence concerning the stability of treatment (Tx) results achieved by means of Class II fixed functional appliance therapy and to assess possible differences between appliances. Search Methods: An electronic search of databases and orthodontic journals was carried out (until December 2013), with supplemental hand searching. In addition to the names of all identified appliances, the term fixed functional was used in combination with each of the following search terms: long-term, post-Tx, relapse, retention, stability. Selection Criteria: To be included in the review, the articles had to contain clear data on: Class II Tx with a fixed functional appliance (>5 patients), post-Tx period ≥ 1 year, assessment of ANB angle, Wits appraisal, molar relationship, soft-tissue profile convexity excluding the nose, overjet and/or overbite. Data Collection and Analysis: The literature search revealed 20 scientific investigations which corresponded to only two of the 76 identified appliances (Herbst and Twin Force Bite Corrector). As only one publication was found for the Twin Force Bite Corrector, a meta-analysis could only be performed for Herbst Tx. The data were extracted, pooled and weighted according to the number of patients in each study. Results: The mean values for post-Tx relapse (percentages relative to the Tx changes) were: ANB angle 0.2 degrees (12.4 per cent), Wits appraisal 0.5mm (19.5 per cent), sagittal molar relationship 1.2mm/0.1 cusp widths (21.8 per cent /6.5 per cent); soft-tissue profile convexity excluding nose less than 0.1 degrees (1.0 per cent), overjet 1.8mm (26.2 per cent), overbite Class II:1 1.4mm (44.7 per cent), overbite Class II:2 1.0mm (22.2 per cent). Conclusions: The scientific evidence concerning the stability of Tx results is inexistent for most fixed functional appliances for Class II correction except for Herbst appliance Tx. Even if the evidence level of most included studies

Levitation and lateral forces between a point magnetic dipole and a superconducting sphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Khateeb, H M; Alqadi, M K; Alzoubi, F Y; Albiss, B; Hasan, M K; Ayoub, N Y

2016-01-01

The dipole–dipole interaction model is employed to investigate the angular dependence of the levitation and lateral forces acting on a small magnet in an anti-symmetric magnet/superconducting sphere system. Breaking the symmetry of the system enables us to study the lateral force which is important in the stability of the magnet above a superconducting sphere in the Meissner state. Under the assumption that the lateral displacement of the magnet is small compared to the physical dimensions of our proposed system, analytical expressions are obtained for the levitation and lateral forces as a function of the geometrical parameters of the superconductor as well as the height, the lateral displacement, and the orientation of the magnetic moment of the magnet. The dependence of the levitation force on the height of the levitating magnet is similar to that in the symmetric magnet/superconducting sphere system within the range of proposed lateral displacements. It is found that the levitation force is linearly dependent on the lateral displacement whereas the lateral force is independent of this displacement. A sinusoidal variation of both forces as a function of the polar and azimuthal angles specifying the orientation of the magnetic moment is observed. The relationship between the stability and the orientation of the magnetic moment is discussed for different orientations. (paper)

Advanced Tokamak Stability Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Linjin

2015-03-01

The intention of this book is to introduce advanced tokamak stability theory. We start with the derivation of the Grad-Shafranov equation and the construction of various toroidal flux coordinates. An analytical tokamak equilibrium theory is presented to demonstrate the Shafranov shift and how the toroidal hoop force can be balanced by the application of a vertical magnetic field in tokamaks. In addition to advanced theories, this book also discusses the intuitive physics pictures for various experimentally observed phenomena.

The Combined Arms Maneuver-Force and the Stability and Support-Force: A Dual Force Concept to Meet the Challenges of Future Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-13

Horizons” in El Salvador , the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. A critical part of these missions was the medical readiness training exercises...Sudan, rescued flood victims in Bangladesh, rushed pharmaceuticals to earthquake sites, and delivered medical teams to hundreds of major and minor...allowing rapid response to unforeseen crises. This includes sending forces to assist in the disaster relief operations after the October 2005 earthquake

Advanced techniques for the analysis of crisis stability, deterrence, and latency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Canavan, G.H.

1998-12-31

This is the final report of a one-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The principal results of studies on crisis stability, deterrence, and latency are presented in their order of development. They capture the main features of stability analysis; relate first strike, crisis, and arms control stability as seen from US and Russian perspective; and address whether different metrics, uncertain damage preferences, or the deployment of defenses can be destabilizing. The report explores differences between unilateral and proportional force reductions in the region of deep reductions where concern shifts from stability to latency.

Implications of Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 Methane Emissions to Stabilize Radiative Forcing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Emanuel, William R.; Janetos, Anthony C.

2013-02-01

Increases in the abundance of methane (CH4) in the Earth’s atmosphere are responsible for significant radiative forcing of climate change (Forster et al., 2007; Wuebbles and Hayhoe, 2002). Since 1750, a 2.5 fold increase in atmospheric CH4 contributed 0.5 W/m2 to direct radiative forcing and an additional 0.2 W/m2 indirectly through changes in atmospheric chemistry. Next to water and carbon dioxide (CO2), methane is the most abundant greenhouse gas in the troposphere. Additionally, CH4 is significantly more effective as a greenhouse gas on a per molecule basis than is CO2, and increasing atmospheric CH4 has been second only to CO2 in radiative forcing (Forster et al., 2007). The chemical reactivity of CH4 is important to both tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry. Along with carbon monoxide, methane helps control the amount of the hydroxyl radical (OH) in the troposphere where oxidation of CH4 by OH leads to the formation of formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and ozone.

Can the UN Stabilize Mali? Towards a UN Stabilization Doctrine?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arthur Boutellis

2015-06-01

, and should not be confused with the reestablishment of state authority. Such a move should also be accompanied by reforms in the design of ‘lighter’ but more capable UN operations, and partnership with non-UN parallel fighting forces with shared stabilization objectives, but with a clear division of labor

Force Structure: Capabilities and Cost of Army Modular Force Remain Uncertain

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2006-01-01

.... In short, because of uncertainties in cost, equipment, and personnel plans and the absence of a comprehensive approach for assessing modularity results, we do not believe decision makers have sufficient information to assess the capabilities, costs, and risks posed by the transformation to a modular force. I will now turn to our four main issues.

Improvement of Sidestream Dark Field Imaging with an Image Acquisition Stabilizer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balestra, Gianmarco M; Bezemer, Rick; Boerma, E Christiaan; Yong, Ze-Yie; Sjauw, Krishan D; Engstrom, Annemarie E; Koopmans, Matty; Ince, Can

2010-01-01

In the present study we developed, evaluated in volunteers, and clinically validated an image acquisition stabilizer (IAS) for Sidestream Dark Field (SDF) imaging. The IAS is a stainless steel sterilizable ring which fits around the SDF probe tip. The IAS creates adhesion to the imaged tissue by application of negative pressure. The effects of the IAS on the sublingual microcirculatory flow velocities, the force required to induce pressure artifacts (PA), the time to acquire a stable image, and the duration of stable imaging were assessed in healthy volunteers. To demonstrate the clinical applicability of the SDF setup in combination with the IAS, simultaneous bilateral sublingual imaging of the microcirculation were performed during a lung recruitment maneuver (LRM) in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients. One SDF device was operated handheld; the second was fitted with the IAS and held in position by a mechanic arm. Lateral drift, number of losses of image stability and duration of stable imaging of the two methods were compared. Five healthy volunteers were studied. The IAS did not affect microcirculatory flow velocities. A significantly greater force had to applied onto the tissue to induced PA with compared to without IAS (0.25 ± 0.15 N without vs. 0.62 ± 0.05 N with the IAS, p < 0.001). The IAS ensured an increased duration of a stable image sequence (8 ± 2 s without vs. 42 ± 8 s with the IAS, p < 0.001). The time required to obtain a stable image sequence was similar with and without the IAS. In eight mechanically ventilated patients undergoing a LRM the use of the IAS resulted in a significantly reduced image drifting and enabled the acquisition of significantly longer stable image sequences (24 ± 5 s without vs. 67 ± 14 s with the IAS, p = 0.006). The present study has validated the use of an IAS for improvement of SDF imaging by demonstrating that the IAS did not affect microcirculatory perfusion in the microscopic field of view. The IAS

Management of pediatric mandibular fractures using bioresorbable plating system – Efficacy, stability, and clinical outcomes: Our experiences and literature review

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Mahinder; Singh, R.K.; Passi, Deepak; Aggarwal, Mohit; Kaur, Guneet

2015-01-01

Aims The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and stability of the biodegradable fixation system for treatment of mandible fractures in pediatric patients by measuring the bite force. Methods Sixty pediatric patients with mandibular fractures (36 males, 24 females) were included in this study. The 2.5-mm resorbable plates were adapted along Champy's line of ideal osteosynthesis and secured with four 2.5 mm diameter monocortical resorbable screws, 8 mm in length. All patients were followed for 10 months. Clinical parameters, such as soft tissue infection, nonunion, malunion, implant exposure, malocclusion, nerve injury, and bite force for stability, were prospectively assessed. Results Adequate fixation and primary bone healing was achieved in 100% of the cases. Six minor complications (10%) were observed: 2 soft tissue infections (3%), 1 plate dehiscence (2%), 1 malocclusion (2%), and 2 paresthesia (3%). Conclusion 2.5-mm resorbable plating system along Champy's line of ideal osteosynthesis is a good treatment modality for mandible fractures in pediatric patients. PMID:27195206

Engineering solutions to the long-term stabilization and isolation of uranium mill tailings in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanders, D.R.; Lommler, J.C.

1995-01-01

Engineering solutions to the safe and environmentally protective disposal and isolation of uranium mill tailings in the US include many factors. Cover design, materials selection, civil engineering, erosive forces, and cost effectiveness are only a few of those factors described in this paper. The systems approach to the engineering solutions employed in the US is described, with emphasis on the standards prescribed for the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project. Stabilization and isolation of the tailings from humans and the environment are the primary goals of the US uranium mill tailings control standards. The performance of cover designs with respect to water infiltration, radon exhalation, geotechnical stability, erosion protection, human and animal intrusion prevention, and longevity are addressed. The need for and frequency of surveillance efforts to ensure continued disposal system performance are also assessed

FINANCIAL STABILITY OF ISLAMIC AND CONVENTIONAL BANKS IN BANGLADESH: REVISITING STABILITY MEASURES AND ANALYZING STABILITY BEHAVIOR