Influence of particle size and ionic strength on the freeze-thaw stability of emulsions stabilized by whey protein isolate

The influence of particle size and ionic strength on the freeze-thaw(FT) stability of emulsions stabilized by whey protein isolate(WPI) was investigated in this study. The destabilization of emulsions during the FT process could be suppressed in a way by decreasing the particle size of the initial emulsions, which was the result of retarding the coalescence between oil droplets. To further improve the FT stability of emulsions, different amounts of Na Cl were added before emulsification. The emulsions with the ionic strength at 30–50 mmol/L exhibited good FT stability. Notably, the ionic strength in this range would not lower the freezing point of emulsions below the freezing temperature used in this study. Salt addition could improve the structural properties of proteins, which was available to strengthen the rigidity and thickness of interfacial layers, sequentially building up the resistance that the destruction of ice crystals to emulsions. Moreover, stronger flocculation between emulsion droplets could promote the formation of a gel-like network structure dominated by elasticity in the emulsion system, which might effectively inhibit the movement of droplets, and improve the FT stability of emulsions eventually. The result was of great significance for the preparation of emulsion-based foods with improved FT stability.

Effect of Malva Nut Gum on Pasting Characteristics and Freeze-thaw Stability of Commercial Wheat, Rice or Waxy Rice Flour

The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of Malva nut gum （MG） replacement on the pasting characteristics and freeze-thaw stability of wheat, rice or waxy rice flours. Pasting properties and freeze-thaw stability of different flours incorporated with 0, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3% and 5% of MG were investigated. Pasting temperature （60 ℃-87 ℃） of the pastes significantly decreased with increasing of MG content for wheat and rice flours, but had no significant effect for waxy rice flour. Incorporation of MG into all flours significantly elevated the peak viscosity by about 0.9-2.6 folds when compared to non-MG samples. Hot paste viscosity, breakdown and final viscosity for all flour mixtures significantly increased with increasing of MG which ranged from 81-427, 37-559 and 152-463 RVU, respectively. Freeze-thaw stability measurement demonstrated that higher level of MG in wheat and rice gel mixtures could decrease syneresis. However, MG had no effect on syneresis of waxy rice gel. Presence of MG in flours alters the pasting properties and syneresis effect. It is suggested that higher viscosity and lower syneresis of gels could be modified by MG.

Effect of external and internal cues on core muscle activation during the Sahrmann five-level core stability test

BACKGROUND Pain in the back or pelvis or fear of back pain may affect the timing or cocontraction of the core muscles.In both static and dynamic movements,the Sahrmann core stability test provides an assessment of core muscle activation and a person's ability to stabilize the lumbopelvic complex.Preparatory cues and images can be used to increase the activation of these muscles.To attain optimal movement patterns,it will be necessary to determine what cueing will give the most effective results for core stability.AIM To investigate the effects of external and internal cues on core muscle activation during the Sahrmann five-level core stability test.METHODS Total 68 participants(21.83±3.47 years)were randomly allocated to an external(n=35)or internal cue group(n=33).Participants performed the Sahrmann fivelevel core stability test without a cue as baseline and the five-level stability exercises with an internal or external cue.External cue group received a pressure biofeedback unit(PBU),and the internal cue group received an audio cue.A Delsys Trigno^(TM)surface electromyography unit was used for muscle activation from the rectus abdominis,external oblique,and transverse abdominis/internal oblique muscles.RESULTS Linear mixed effects model analysis showed that cueing had a significant effect on core muscle activation(P=0.001);however,there was no significant difference between cue types(internal or external)(P=0.130).CONCLUSION Both external and internal cueing have significant effects on core muscle activation during the Sahrmann five-level core stability test and the PBU does not create higher muscle activation than internal cueing.

Recent progress on stability and applications of flexible perovskite photodetectors

Flexible photodetectors have garnered significant attention by virtue of their potential applications in environmental monitoring,wearable healthcare,imaging sensing,and portable optical communications.Perovskites stand out as particularly promising materials for photodetectors,offering exceptional optoelectronic properties,tunable band gaps,low-temperature solution processing,and notable mechanical flexibility.In this review,we explore the latest progress in flexible perovskite photodetectors,emphasizing the strategies developed for photoactive materials and device structures to enhance optoelectronic performance and stability.Additionally,we discuss typical applications of these devices and offer insights into future directions and potential applications.

Assessing ground stability of a vertical backfilled stope considering creep behaviors of surrounding rocks

Backfill is often employed in mining operations for ground support,with its positive impact on ground stability acknowledged in many underground mines.However,existing studies have predominantly focused only on the stress development within the backfill material,leaving the influence of stope backfilling on stress distribution in surrounding rock mass and ground stability largely unexplored.Therefore,this paper presents numerical models in FLAC3D to investigate,for the first time,the time-dependent stress redistribution around a vertical backfilled stope and its implications on ground stability,considering the creep of surrounding rock mass.Using the Soft Soil constitutive model,the compressibility of backfill under large pressure was captured.It is found that the creep deformation of rock mass exercises compression on backfill and results in a less void ratio and increased modulus for fill material.The compacted backfill conversely influenced the stress distribution and ground stability of rock mass which was a combined effect of wall creep and compressibility of backfill.With the increase of time or/and creep deformation,the minimum principal stress in the rocks surrounding the backfilled stope increased towards the pre-mining stress state,while the deviatoric stress reduces leading to an increased factor of safety and improved ground stability.This improvement effect of backfill on ground stability increased with the increase of mine depth and stope height,while it is also more pronounced for the narrow stope,the backfill with a smaller compression index,and the soft rocks with a smaller viscosity coefficient.Furthermore,the results emphasize the importance of minimizing empty time and backfilling extracted stope as soon as possible for ground control.Reduction of filling gap height enhances the local stability around the roof of stope.

Aerodynamic instability evolution of a multi-stage combined compressor

Unstable operating conditions such as surge could cause damage to both aerodynamic performance and structural integrity of a compression system.This paper addresses the critical issue of aerodynamic instability in compressor design,particularly focusing on an axial-centrifugal combined compressor,a widely used yet underexplored configuration.An experimental investigation was conducted on a three-stage axial and one-stage centrifugal compressor(3A1C),using two pipe systems and employing fast-responding transducers to capture the dynamic instability process from choke condition to deep surge.Results reveal that at the design speed,3A1C enters deep surge directly,whereas at off-design speeds,it experiences rotating stall and mild surge across a wide mass flow range.Some special instability features in the combined compressor can be found in the steady state map and dynamic process.The characteristic curve of the first axial stage keeps a positive slope during the whole mass flow range at an off-design speed.The first stage could work stably on the stall characteristic curve because the centrifugal stage has stronger pressurization and plays a dominant role in global aerodynamic instability.Besides,rotating instability occurs at the first rotor tip and disappears as the back pressure increases,which is also rarely seen in a single-axial compressor.This is also related to the strong pressurization of the centrifugal stage.The findings of this paper will contribute to the understanding of aerodynamic instabilities in combined compressors.

Improve Strategy for Transient Power Angle Stability Control of VSG Combining Frequency Difference Feedback and Virtual Impedance

As the penetration rate of distributed energy increases,the transient power angle stability problem of the virtual synchronous generator(VSG)has gradually become prominent.In view of the situation that the grid impedance ratio(R/X)is high and affects the transient power angle stability of VSG,this paper proposes a VSG transient power angle stability control strategy based on the combination of frequency difference feedback and virtual impedance.To improve the transient power angle stability of the VSG,a virtual impedance is adopted in the voltage loop to adjust the impedance ratio R/X;and the PI control feedback of the VSG frequency difference is introduced in the reactive powervoltage link of theVSGto enhance the damping effect.Thesecond-orderVSGdynamic nonlinearmodel considering the reactive power-voltage loop is established and the influence of different proportional integral(PI)control parameters on the system balance stability is analyzed.Moreover,the impact of the impedance ratio R/X on the transient power angle stability is presented using the equal area criterion.In the simulations,during the voltage dips with the reduction of R/X from 1.6 to 0.8,Δδ_(1)is reduced from 0.194 rad to 0.072 rad,Δf_(1)is reduced from 0.170 to 0.093 Hz,which shows better transient power angle stability.Simulation results verify that compared with traditional VSG,the proposedmethod can effectively improve the transient power angle stability of the system.

Heavy metal stress strengthens the stability and complexity of microbial molecular ecological networks in Sanyang wetland sediments

Pollution from heavy metals(HMs)(Cd,As,Cr,and Ni,etc.)has become a serious environmental issue in urban wetland ecosystems with more and more attention.Previous studies conducted in agricultural soils,rivers,and lakes demonstrated that microbial communities exhibit a response to HM pollution.Yet,little is known about the response of microbial communities to HM pollution in urban wetland ecosystems.We examined how heavy metals affect the stability of the microbial networks in the sediments of Sanyang wetland,Wenzhou,China.Key environmental parameters,including HMs,TC(total carbon),TN(total nitrogen),TP(total phosphorus),S,and pH,varied profoundly between moderately and heavily polluted areas in shaping microbial communities.Specifically,the microbial community composition in moderately polluted sites correlated significantly(P<0.05)with Ni,Cu,Cd and TP,whereas in heavily polluted sites,they correlated significantly with Cd,TN,TP,and S.Results show that the heavily polluted sites demonstrated more intricate and more stable microbial networks than those of the moderately polluted area.The heavily polluted sites exhibited higher values for various network parameters including total nodes,total links,average degree,average clustering coefficient,connectance,relative modularity,robustness,and cohesion.Moreover,the structural equation modeling analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between the stability of microbial networks and Cd,TN,TP,and S in heavily polluted sites.Conversely,in moderately polluted sites,the correlation was positively linked to Cd,Ni,and sediment pH.It implies that Cd could potentially play a crucial role in affecting the stability of microbial networks.This study shall enhance our comprehension of microbial co-occurrence patterns in urban wetland ecosystems and offer insights into the ways in which microbial communities respond to environmental factors in varying levels of HM pollution.

Upper bound stability analysis of tiered geosynthetic-reinforced soil wall

The tiered geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) walls have been increasingly applied in the high and steep retaining soil structures. However, very little is known about the design method for the tiered GRS wall in practice. This study is aimed at proposing an upper-bound stability analysis method of a tiered GRS wall. The proposed method was firstly validated by the existing results from the centrifuge test and the numerical method, and then a parametric study was performed to investigate the effects of the cohesionless backfill friction angle φ1 and the wall geometric parameters including the offset distance, the total wall height, the batter angle δ, the number of tiers n, and wall height ratio of adjacent tiers on the dimensionless equivalent earth pressure coefficient KT. The analysis results demonstrated that as the φ1 increases, the shear strength of backfill is enhanced and thus the KT or the total reinforcement tensile force decreases, and the KT decreases with the increase of the offset distance at the initial stage and then becomes stable when it reaches a certain critical value. For a fixed offset distance, the KT or the total reinforcement tensile force decreases with the increase of the δ. For the two-tiered GRS walls having the offset distance less than the critical value, the wall with the smaller wall height ratio has a larger KT. Further, the variation of the location of the critical failure surfaces of tiered GRS walls was presented in this study with the variation of the φ1 and the wall geometry.

Effects of spatial heterogeneity on pseudo-static stability of coal mine overburden dump slope,using random limit equilibrium and random finite element methods:A comparative study

Sudden and unforeseen seismic failures of coal mine overburden(OB)dump slopes interrupt mining operations,cause loss of lives and delay the production of coal.Consideration of the spatial heterogeneity of OB dump materials is imperative for an adequate evaluation of the seismic stability of OB dump slopes.In this study,pseudo-static seismic stability analyses are carried out for an OB dump slope by considering the material parameters obtained from an insitu field investigation.Spatial heterogeneity is simulated through use of the random finite element method(RFEM)and the random limit equilibrium method(RLEM)and a comparative study is presented.Combinations of horizontal and vertical spatial correlation lengths were considered for simulating isotropic and anisotropic random fields within the OB dump slope.Seismic performances of the slope have been reported through the probability of failure and reliability index.It was observed that the RLEM approach overestimates failure probability(P_(f))by considering seismic stability with spatial heterogeneity.The P_(f)was observed to increase with an increase in the coefficient of variation of friction angle of the dump materials.Further,it was inferred that the RLEM approach may not be adequately applicable for assessing the seismic stability of an OB dump slope for a horizontal seismic coefficient that is more than or equal to 0.1.

Enhanced High-Temperature Cycling Stability of Garnet-Based All Solid-State Lithium Battery Using a Multi-Functional Catholyte Buffer Layer

The pursuit of safer and high-performance lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)has triggered extensive research activities on solid-state batteries,while challenges related to the unstable electrode-electrolyte interface hinder their practical implementation.Polymer has been used extensively to improve the cathode-electrolyte interface in garnet-based all-solid-state LIBs(ASSLBs),while it introduces new concerns about thermal stability.In this study,we propose the incorporation of a multi-functional flame-retardant triphenyl phos-phate additive into poly(ethylene oxide),acting as a thin buffer layer between LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(NCM811)cathode and garnet electro-lyte.Through electrochemical stability tests,cycling performance evaluations,interfacial thermal stability analysis and flammability tests,improved thermal stability(capacity retention of 98.5%after 100 cycles at 60℃,and 89.6%after 50 cycles at 80℃)and safety characteristics(safe and stable cycling up to 100℃)are demonstrated.Based on various materials characterizations,the mechanism for the improved thermal stability of the interface is proposed.The results highlight the potential of multi-functional flame-retardant additives to address the challenges associated with the electrode-electrolyte interface in ASSLBs at high temperature.Efficient thermal modification in ASSLBs operating at elevated temperatures is also essential for enabling large-scale energy storage with safety being the primary concern.

Enhanced mechanical stability and corrosion resistance ofsuperhydrophobic coating reinforced with inorganic binder

The development of superhydrophobic materials has demonstrated significant potential in the realm ofcorrosion protection for aluminum alloy(Al alloy)surfaces.However,the limited mechanical stability ofsuperhydrophobic surfaces has impeded the rapid advancement in this field.In this research,we synthesized analuminum phosphate(AP)inorganic binder and combined it with hydrophobic fumed SiO_(2)(HF-SiO_(2))nanoparticles andpolydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)to develop a HF-SiO_(2)@PDMS@AP superhydrophobic composite coating with improvedmechanical stability on Al alloy substrates using a simple spray-coating technique.The findings indicate that the additionof the AP inorganic binder significantly enhanced the coating’s resistance to abrasion,maintaining its superhydrophobicproperties and micro-nano hierarchical structure even after being subjected to a sandpaper abrasion distance of 2000 cm.Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)testing showed that the low-frequency modulus(|Z|0.01Hz)of theHF-SiO_(2)@PDMS@AP superhydrophobic coating increased by four orders of magnitude compared to the initial Al alloysubstrate,resulting in a substantial improvement in corrosion protection capacity.The impressive corrosion resistanceand mechanical stability exhibited by this coating have the potential to greatly expand the practical applications of suchmaterials for surface functional protection in marine and industrial environments.

A Facile Li_(2)TiO_(3) Surface Modification to Improve the Structure Stability and Electrochemical Performance of Full Concentration Gradient Li-Rich Oxides

Full concentration gradient lithium-rich layered oxides are catching lots of interest as the next generation cathode for lithium-ion batteries due to their high discharge voltage,reduced voltage decay and enhanced rate performance,whereas the high lithium residues on its surface impairs the structure stability and long-term cycle performance.Herein,a facile multifunctional surface modification method is implemented to eliminate surface lithium residues of full concentration gradient lithium-rich layered oxides by a wet chemistry reaction with tetrabutyl titanate and the post-annealing process.It realizes not only a stable Li_(2)TiO_(3)coating layer with 3D diffusion channels for fast Li^(+)ions transfer,but also dopes partial Ti^(4+)ions into the sub-surface region of full concentration gradient lithium-rich layered oxides to further strengthen its crystal structure.Consequently,the modified full concentration gradient lithium-rich layered oxides exhibit improved structure stability,elevated thermal stability with decomposition temperature from 289.57℃to 321.72℃,and enhanced cycle performance(205.1 mAh g^(-1)after 150 cycles)with slowed voltage drop(1.67 mV per cycle).This work proposes a facile and integrated modification method to enhance the comprehensive performance of full concentration gradient lithium-rich layered oxides,which can facilitate its practical application for developing higher energy density lithium-ion batteries.

Evaluation of slope stability through rock mass classification and kinematic analysis of some major slopes along NH-1A from Ramban to Banihal, North Western Himalayas

The network of Himalayan roadways and highways connects some remote regions of valleys or hill slopes,which is vital for India’s socio-economic growth.Due to natural and artificial factors,frequency of slope instabilities along the networks has been increasing over last few decades.Assessment of stability of natural and artificial slopes due to construction of these connecting road networks is significant in safely executing these roads throughout the year.Several rock mass classification methods are generally used to assess the strength and deformability of rock mass.This study assesses slope stability along the NH-1A of Ramban district of North Western Himalayas.Various structurally and non-structurally controlled rock mass classification systems have been applied to assess the stability conditions of 14 slopes.For evaluating the stability of these slopes,kinematic analysis was performed along with geological strength index(GSI),rock mass rating(RMR),continuous slope mass rating(CoSMR),slope mass rating(SMR),and Q-slope in the present study.The SMR gives three slopes as completely unstable while CoSMR suggests four slopes as completely unstable.The stability of all slopes was also analyzed using a design chart under dynamic and static conditions by slope stability rating(SSR)for the factor of safety(FoS)of 1.2 and 1 respectively.Q-slope with probability of failure(PoF)1%gives two slopes as stable slopes.Stable slope angle has been determined based on the Q-slope safe angle equation and SSR design chart based on the FoS.The value ranges given by different empirical classifications were RMR(37-74),GSI(27.3-58.5),SMR(11-59),and CoSMR(3.39-74.56).Good relationship was found among RMR&SSR and RMR&GSI with correlation coefficient(R 2)value of 0.815 and 0.6866,respectively.Lastly,a comparative stability of all these slopes based on the above classification has been performed to identify the most critical slope along this road.

Gouge stability controlled by temperature elevation and obsidian addition in basaltic faults and implications for moonquakes

Basalt is a major component of the earth and moon crust.Mineral composition and temperature influence frictional instability and thus the potential for seismicity on basaltic faults.We performed velocitystepping shear experiments on basalt gouges at a confining pressure of 100 MPa,temperatures in the range of 100-400℃ and with varied obsidian mass fractions of 0-100%under wet/dry conditions to investigate the frictional strength and stability of basaltic faults.We observe a transition from velocity-neutral to velocity-weakening behaviors with increasing obsidian content.The frictional stability response of the mixed obsidian/basalt gouges is characterized by a transition from velocitystrengthening to velocity-weakening at 200℃ and another transition to velocity-strengthening at temperatures>300℃.Conversely,frictional strengths of the obsidian-bearing gouges are insensitive to temperature and wet/dry conditions.These results suggest that obsidian content dominates the potential seismic response of basaltic faults with the effect of temperature controlling the range of seismogenic depths.Thus,shallow moonquakes tend to occur in the lower lunar crust due to the corresponding anticipated higher glass content and a projected temperature range conducive to velocity-weakening behavior.These observations contribute to a better understanding of the nucleation mechanism of shallow seismicity in basaltic faults.

Impact of spatially varying rock disturbance on rock slope stability

Degradation of rock mass produced by rock blasting,stress relief,and other causes is an important factor in the assessment of rock strength.Quantified as a disturbance factor,such degradation varies depending on blasting control,stress state and stress relief,and rock mass quality.This study focuses on the impact of disturbance on the safety of slopes.The disturbance in the rock mass is characterized by the geometry of the disturbed zone,its size,the magnitude,and the decaying rate with the distance away from the slope surface.A method accounting for decay of rock disturbance is presented.A study of the impact of rock disturbance characteristics on the quantitative stability measures of slopes was carried out.These characteristics included disturbed zone geometry,its thickness,the maximum magnitude of the disturbance factor,and the rate of disturbance decaying.The thickness of the disturbed zone and the maximum factor of disturbance were found to have the greatest impact.For example,the factor of safety for a 45slope in low-quality rock mass can decrease from 1.96 to 1.09 as the thickness of the disturbed zone increases from 1/4 of slope height H to the double of H and the maximum disturbance factor increases from 0.5 to 1.Uniform thickness of a disturbed zone was found to yield more conservative outcomes than the triangular zones did.The critical failure surfaces were found to be shallow for high rates of disturbance decay,and they were the deepest for spatially uniform disturbance factors.

Stability of the Stratification of Water Bodies in the North Passage of the Yangtze River Estuary Based on the EFDC Model

To study the stratified stability of a water column in the North Passage of the Yangtze River Estuary,a numerical model of the hydrodynamics of this estuary is established using the EFDC model.On the basis of EFDC results,this paper derives and pro-vides the discriminative index of water body stability caused by salinity and analyzes the along-range variation in water body strati-fication stability in the North Passage of the Yangtze River Estuary and the periodic variation at a key location(bend area)based on the simulation results of the numerical model.This work shows that the water body in the bend area varies between mixed and strati-fied types,and the vertical average flow velocity has a good negative correlation with the differential velocity between the surface and bottom layers of the water body.The model simulation results validate the formulae for the stratified stability discriminant during spring tides.

Mechanical Modeling and Analysis of Stability Deterioration of Production Well During Marine Hydrate Depressurization Production

Different from oil and gas production,hydrate reservoirs are shallow and unconsolidated,whose mechanical properties deteriorate with hydrate decomposition.Therefore,the formations will undergo significant subsidence during depressurization,which will destroy the original force state of the production well.However,existing research on the stability of oil and gas production wells assumes the formation to be stable,and lacks consideration of the force exerted on the hydrate production well by formation subsidence caused by hydrate decomposition during production.To fill this gap,this paper proposes an analytical method for the dynamic evolution of the stability of hydrate production well considering the effects of hydrate decomposition.Based on the mechanical model of the production well,the basis for stability analysis has been proposed.A multi-field coupling model of the force state of the production well considering the effect of hydrate decomposition and formation subsidence is established,and a solver is developed.The analytical approach is verified by its good agreement with the results from the numerical method.A case study found that the decomposition of hydrate will increase the pulling-down force and reduce the supporting force,which is the main reason for the stability deterioration.The higher the initial hydrate saturation,the larger the reservoir thickness,and the lower the production pressure,the worse the stability or even instability.This work can provide a theoretical reference for the stability maintaining of the production well.

Influence of variable viscosity and double diffusion on the convective stability of a nanofluid flow in an inclined porous channel

The influence of variable viscosity and double diffusion on the convective stability of a nanofluid flow in an inclined porous channel is investigated.The DarcyBrinkman model is used to characterize the fluid flow dynamics in porous materials.The analytical solutions are obtained for the unidirectional and completely developed flow.Based on a normal mode analysis,the generalized eigenvalue problem under a perturbed state is solved.The eigenvalue problem is then solved by the spectral method.Finally,the critical Rayleigh number with the corresponding wavenumber is evaluated at the assigned values of the other flow-governing parameters.The results show that increasing the Darcy number,the Lewis number,the Dufour parameter,or the Soret parameter increases the stability of the system,whereas increasing the inclination angle of the channel destabilizes the flow.Besides,the flow is the most unstable when the channel is vertically oriented.

Probabilistic analysis of tunnel face seismic stability in layered rock masses using Polynomial Chaos Kriging metamodel

Face stability is an essential issue in tunnel design and construction.Layered rock masses are typical and ubiquitous;uncertainties in rock properties always exist.In view of this,a comprehensive method,which combines the Upper bound Limit analysis of Tunnel face stability,the Polynomial Chaos Kriging,the Monte-Carlo Simulation and Analysis of Covariance method(ULT-PCK-MA),is proposed to investigate the seismic stability of tunnel faces.A two-dimensional analytical model of ULT is developed to evaluate the virtual support force based on the upper bound limit analysis.An efficient probabilistic analysis method PCK-MA based on the adaptive Polynomial Chaos Kriging metamodel is then implemented to investigate the parameter uncertainty effects.Ten input parameters,including geological strength indices,uniaxial compressive strengths and constants for three rock formations,and the horizontal seismic coefficients,are treated as random variables.The effects of these parameter uncertainties on the failure probability and sensitivity indices are discussed.In addition,the effects of weak layer position,the middle layer thickness and quality,the tunnel diameter,the parameters correlation,and the seismic loadings are investigated,respectively.The results show that the layer distributions significantly influence the tunnel face probabilistic stability,particularly when the weak rock is present in the bottom layer.The efficiency of the proposed ULT-PCK-MA is validated,which is expected to facilitate the engineering design and construction.