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.

Constructing high-toughness polyimide binder with robust polarity and ion-conductive mechanisms ensuring long-term operational stability of silicon-based anodes

Silicon-based materials have demonstrated remarkable potential in high-energy-density batteries owing to their high theoretical capacity.However,the significant volume expansion of silicon seriously hinders its utilization as a lithium-ion anode.Herein,a functionalized high-toughness polyimide(PDMI) is synthesized by copolymerizing the 4,4'-Oxydiphthalic anhydride(ODPA) with 4,4'-oxydianiline(ODA),2,3-diaminobenzoic acid(DABA),and 1,3-bis(3-aminopropyl)-tetramethyl disiloxane(DMS).The combination of rigid benzene rings and flexible oxygen groups(-O-) in the PDMI molecular chain via a rigidness/softness coupling mechanism contributes to high toughness.The plentiful polar carboxyl(-COOH) groups establish robust bonding strength.Rapid ionic transport is achieved by incorporating the flexible siloxane segment(Si-O-Si),which imparts high molecular chain motility and augments free volume holes to facilitate lithium-ion transport(9.8 × 10^(-10) cm^(2) s^(-1) vs.16 × 10^(-10) cm^(2) s~(-1)).As expected,the SiO_x@PDMI-1.5 electrode delivers brilliant long-term cycle performance with a remarkable capacity retention of 85% over 500 cycles at 1.3 A g^(-1).The well-designed functionalized polyimide also significantly enhances the electrochemical properties of Si nanoparticles electrode.Meanwhile,the assembled SiO_x@PDMI-1.5/NCM811 full cell delivers a high retention of 80% after 100 cycles.The perspective of the binder design strategy based on polyimide modification delivers a novel path toward high-capacity electrodes for high-energy-density batteries.

Robust Stability Analysis of Edge Polynomials with Variable Length

The concept of edge polynomials with variable length is introduced. Stability of such polynomials is analyzed. Under the condition that one extreme of the edge is stable, the stability radius of edge polynomials with variable length is characterized in terms of the real spectral radius of the matrix H -1 ( f 0) H (g) , where both H (f 0) and H (g) are Hurwitz like matrices. Based on this result, stability radius of control systems with interval type plants and first order controllers are determined.

Adaptive Robust Servo Control for Vertical Electric Stabilization System of Tank and Experimental Validation

A tracking stability control problem for the vertical electric stabilization system of moving tank based on adaptive robust servo control is addressed.This paper mainly focuses on two types of possibly fast timevarying but bounded uncertainty within the vertical electric stabilization system:model parameter uncertainty and uncertain nonlinearity.First,the vertical electric stabilization system is constructed as an uncertain nonlinear dynamic system that can reflect the practical mechanics transfer process of the system.Second,the dynamical equation in the form of state space is established by designing the angular tracking error.Third,the comprehensive parameter of system uncertainty is designed to estimate the most conservative effects of uncertainty.Finally,an adaptive robust servo control which can effectively handle the combined effects of complex nonlinearity and uncertainty is proposed.The feasibility of the proposed control strategy under the practical physical condition is validated through the tests on the experimental platform.This paper pioneers the introduction of the internal nonlinearity and uncertainty of the vertical electric stabilization system into the settlement of the tracking stability control problem,and validates the advanced servo control strategy through experiment for the first time.

Robust Stability and Stabilization of Discrete Singular Systems with Interval Time-varying Delay and Linear Fractional Uncertainty

The robust stability and robust stabilization problems for discrete singular systems with interval time-varying delay and linear fractional uncertainty are discussed. A new delay-dependent criterion is established for the nominal discrete singular delay systems to be regular, causal and stable by employing the linear matrix inequality （LMI） approach. It is shown that the newly proposed criterion can provide less conservative results than some existing ones. Then, with this criterion, the problems of robust stability and robust stabilization for uncertain discrete singular delay systems are solved, and the delay-dependent LMI conditions are obtained. Finally, numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Robust stability analysis of singular linear system with delay and parameter uncertainty

This paper deals with the problem of robust stability for continuous-time singular systems with state delay and parameter uncertainty. The uncertain singular systems with delay considered in this paper are assumed to be regular and impulse free.By decomposing the systems into slow and fast subsystems,a robust delay-dependent asymptotic stability criteria based on linear matrix inequality is proposed, which is derived by using Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals, neither model transformation nor bounding for cross terms is required in the derivation of our delay-dependent result. The robust delay-dependent stability criterion proposed in this paper is a sufficient condition. Finally, numerical examples and Matlab simulation are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Stability analysis and design of time-delay uncertain systems using robust reliability method

A robust reliability method for stability analysis and reliability-based stabilization of time-delay dynamic systems with uncertain but bounded parameters is presented by treating the uncertain parameters as interval variables.The performance function used for robust reliability analysis is defined by a delayindependent stability criterion.The design of robust controllers is carried out by solving a reliability-based optimization problem in which the control cost satisfying design requirements is minimized.This kind of treatment makes it possible to achieve a balance between the reliability and control cost in the design of controller when uncertainties must be taken into account.By the method,a robust reliability measure of the degree of stability of a time-delay uncertain system can be provided,and the maximum robustness bounds of uncertain parameters such that the time-delay system to be stable can be obtained.All the procedures are based on the linear matrix inequality approach and therefore can be carried out conveniently.The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method are demonstrated with two practical examples.It is shown by numerical simulations and comparison that it is meaningful to take the robust reliability into account in the control design of uncertain systems.

On delay-dependent robust stability of neutral systems

The delay-dependent robust stability of uncertain linear neutral systems with delays is investigated. Both discrete-delay-dependent/neutral-delay-independent and neutral-/discrete- delay-dependent stability criteria will be developed. The proposed stability criteria are formulated in the form of linear matrix inequalities and it is easy to check the robust stability of the considered systems. By introducing certain Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional the mathematical development of our result avoids model transformation and bounding for cross terms, which lead to conservatism. Finally, numerical example is given to indicate the improvement over some existing results.

ROBUST GLOBAL EXPONENTIAL STABILITY OF UNCERTAIN IMPULSIVE SYSTEMS

By using the quasi-Lyapunov function, some sufficient conditions of global exponential stability for impulsive systems are established, which is the basis for the following discussion. Then, by employing Riccati inequality and Hamilton-Jacobi inequality approach, some sufficient conditions of robust exponential stability for uncertain linear/nonlinear impulsive systems are derived, respectively. Finally, some examples are given to illustrate the applications of the theory.

2-D algebraic test for robust stability of time-delay systems with interval parameters

The robust stability test of time-delay systems with interval parameters can be concluded into the robust stability of the interval quasipolynomials. It has been revealed that the robust stability of the quasipolynomials depends on that of their edge polynomials. This paper transforms the interval quasipolynomials into two-dimensional （2-D） interval polynomials （2-D s-z hybrid polynomials）, proves that the robust stability of interval 2-D polynomials are sufficient for the stability of given quasipolynomials. Thus, the stability test of interval quasipolynomials can be completed in 2-D s-z domain instead of classical 1-D s domain. The 2-D s-z hybrid polynomials should have different forms under the time delay properties of given quasipolynomials. The stability test proposed by the paper constructs an edge test set from Kharitonov vertex polynomials to reduce the number of testing edge polynomials. The 2-D algebraic tests are provided for the stability test of vertex 2-D polynomials and edge 2-D polynomials family. To verify the results of the paper to be correct and valid, the simulations based on proposed results and comparison with other presented results are given.

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.

A new result on global exponential robust stability of neural networks with time-varying delays

In this paper, the global exponential robust stability of neural networks with ume-varying delays is investigated. By using nonnegative matrix theory and the Halanay inequality, a new sufficient condition for global exponential robust stability is presented. It is shown that the obtained result is different from or improves some existing ones reported in the literatures. Finally, some numerical examples and a simulation are given to show the effectiveness of the obtained result.

Tuning the reactivity of TiO_(2)layer with uniform distribution of Sub-5 nm Fe_(2)O_(3)particles via in situ voltage-assisted oxidation for robust catalytic reduction

The trade-off between efficiency and stability has limited the application of TiO_(2)as a catalyst due to its poor surface reactivity.Here,we present a modification of a TiO_(2)layer with highly stable Sub-5 nm Fe_(2)O_(3)nanoparticles(NP)by modulating its structure-surface reactivity relationship to attain efficiency-stability balance via a voltage-assisted oxidation approach.In situ simultaneous oxidation of the Ti substrate and Fe precursor using high-energy plasma driven by high voltage resulted in uniform distribution of Fe_(2)O_(3)NP embedded within porous TiO_(2)layer.Comprehensive surface characterizations with density functional theory demonstrated an improved electronic transition in TiO_(2)due to the presence of surface defects from reactive oxygen species and possible charge transfer from Ti to Fe;it also unexpectedly increased the active site in the TiO_(2)layer due to uncoordinated electrons in Sub-5 nm Fe_(2)O_(3)NP/TiO_(2)catalyst,thereby enhancing the adsorption of chemical functional groups on the catalyst.This unique embedded structure exhibited remarkable improvement in reducing 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol,achieving approximately 99%efficiency in 20 min without stability decay after 20 consecutive cycles,outperforming previously reported TiO_(2)-based catalysts.This finding proposes a modified-electrochemical strategy enabling facile construction of TiO_(2)with nanoscale oxides extandable to other metal oxide systems.

A Note on Robust Stability Analysis of Fractional Order Interval Systems by Minimum Argument Vertex and Edge Polynomials

By using power mapping(s =v^m),stability analysis of fractional order polynomials was simplified to the stability analysis of expanded degree integer order polynomials in the first Riemann sheet.However,more investigation is needed for revealing properties of power mapping and demonstration of conformity of Hurwitz stability under power mapping of fractional order characteristic polynomials.Contributions of this study have two folds: Firstly,this paper demonstrates conservation of root argument and magnitude relations under power mapping of characteristic polynomials and thus substantiates validity of Hurwitz stability under power mapping of fractional order characteristic polynomials.This also ensures implications of edge theorem for fractional order interval systems.Secondly,in control engineering point of view,numerical robust stability analysis approaches based on the consideration of minimum argument roots of edge and vertex polynomials are presented.For the computer-aided design of fractional order interval control systems,the minimum argument root principle is applied for a finite set of edge and vertex polynomials,which are sampled from parametric uncertainty box.Several illustrative examples are presented to discuss effectiveness of these approaches.

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.

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.

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.

Stability and Robust Stability of Switched Positive Linear Systems With All Modes Unstable

This paper is concerned with the stability and robust stability of switched positive linear systems(SPLSs) whose subsystems are all unstable. By means of the mode-dependent dwell time approach and a class of discretized co-positive Lyapunov functions, some stability conditions of switched positive linear systems with all modes unstable are derived in both the continuous-time and the discrete-time cases, respectively. The copositive Lyapunov functions constructed in this paper are timevarying during the dwell time and time-invariant afterwards. In addition, the above approach is extended to the switched interval positive systems. A numerical example is proposed to illustrate our approach.

Delay-dependent criteria for the robust stability of systems with time-varying delay

The problem of delay-dependent robust stability for systems with time-varying delay has been considered. By using the S-procedure and the Park's inequality in the recent issue, a delay-dependent robust stability criterion which is less conservative than the previous results has been derived for time-delay systems with time-varying structured uncertainties. The same idea has also been easily extended to the systems with nonlinear perturbations. Numerical examples illustrated the effectiveness and the improvement of the proposed approach. Keywords Delay-dependent criteria - Robust stability - Time-varying structured uncertainties - Nonlinear perturbations - Linear matrix inequality This work was supported by the Doctor Subject Foundation of China (No. 2000053303).