Investigations on the stability of plasma modified silicone surfaces

In this work it was investigated the effect of the exposure to different plasmas on the wettability of silicone samples. We have observed that oxygen. argon, and hydrogen glow discharges are quite effective in reducing the water contact angle of such polymer. However, indifferently to efficiency of the treatment, practically all the modified surfaces recovered great part of their original hydrophobicity. We have investigated this hydrophobic recovery using surface energy measurements and theoretical simulations based on the exponential decay of the population of polar groups on the surface. According to our results such recovery can be attributed to the decrease of polar species at the interface water-polymer surface.

Whydration effects on DNA double helix stability modulates ligand binding to natural DNA in response to changes in water activity

In this work we present evidence that water molecules are actively involved on the control of binding affinity and binding site discrimination of a drug to natural DNA. In a previous study, the effect of water activity (a(w)) on the energetic parameters of actinomycin-D intercalation to natural DNA was determined using the osmotic stress method (39). This earlier study has shown evidence that water molecules act as an allosteric regulator of ligand binding to DNA via the effect of water activity on the long-range stability of the DNA secondary structure. In this work we have carried out DNA circularization experiments using the plasmid pUC18 in the absence of drugs and in the presence of different neutral solutes to evaluate the contribution of water activity to the energetics of DNA helix unwinding. The contribution of water to these independent reactions were made explicit by the description of how the changes in the free energy of ligand binding to DNA and in the free energy associated with DNA helix torsional deformation are linked to a(w) via changes in structural hydration. Taken together, the results of these studies reveal an extensive linkage between ligand binding affinity and site binding discrimination, and long range helix conformational changes and DNA hydration, This is strong evidence that water molecules work as a classical allosteric regulator of ligand binding to the DNA via its contribution to the stability of the double helix secondary structure, suggesting a possible mechanism by which the biochemical machinery of DNA processing takes advantage of the low activity of water into the cellular milieu.

Peroxidase from peach fruit: Thermal stability

Peroxidase from peach fruit was purified 28.9-fold by DEAE-cellulose, Sephadex G-100 and hydroxylapatite chromatography. The purified enzyme showed only one peak of activity with an optimum pH of 5.0 and temperature of 40 degreesC. The calculated activation energy (Ea) for the reaction was 7.97 kcal/mol. The enzyme was heat-labile in the temperature range of 60 to 80 degreesC with a fast inactivation at 80 degreesC. PAGE of the inactivation course at 70 degreesC showed only one band of activity. Different sugars increased the heat stability of the activity in the following order: sucrose>lactose>glucose>fructose. Measurement of residual activity showed a stabilizing effect of sucrose at various temperature/sugar concentrations (10 to 40%, w/w) with the Ea for inactivation increasing with sucrose concentration from 0 to 20% (w/w). After inactivation at 70 degreesC and 75 degreesC the enzyme was able to be reactivated by up to 40% of the initial activity when stared at 30 degreesC.

Stability of trapped Bose-Einstein condensates

In three-dimensional trapped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), described by the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii-Ginzburg equation, we study the effect of initial conditions on stability using a Gaussian variational approach and exact numerical simulations. We also discuss the validity of the criterion for stability suggested by Vakhitov and Kolokolov. The maximum initial chirp (initial focusing defocusing of cloud) that can lead a stable condensate to collapse even before the number of atoms reaches its critical limit is obtained for several specific cases. When we consider two- and three-body nonlinear terms, with negative cubic and positive quintic terms, we have the conditions for the existence of two phases in the condensate. In this case, the magnitude of the oscillations between the two phases are studied considering sufficient large initial chirps. The occurrence of collapse in a BEC with repulsive two-body interaction is also shown to be possible.

Transient stability indices from a hybrid approach

This paper deals with hybrid method for transient stability analysis combining time domain simulation and a direct method. Nowadays, the step-by-step simulation is the best available tool for allowing the uses of detailed models and for providing reliable results. The main limitation of this approach involves the large time of computational simulations and the absence of stability margin. On the other hand, direct methods, that demand less CPU time, did not show ample reliability and applicability yet. The best way seems to be using hybrid solutions, in which a direct method is incorporated in a time domain simulation tool. This work has studied a direct method using the transient potential and kinetic energy of the critical machine only. In this paper the critical machine is identified by a fast and efficient method, and the proposal is new for using to get stability margins from hybrid approaches. Results from systems, like 16-machine, show stability indices to dynamic security assessment. © 2001 IEEE.

Transient stability analysis of electrical power systems using a neural network based on fuzzy ARTMAP

This work presents a methodology to analyze transient stability for electric energy systems using artificial neural networks based on fuzzy ARTMAP architecture. This architecture seeks exploring similarity with computational concepts on fuzzy set theory and ART (Adaptive Resonance Theory) neural network. The ART architectures show plasticity and stability characteristics, which are essential qualities to provide the training and to execute the analysis. Therefore, it is used a very fast training, when compared to the conventional backpropagation algorithm formulation. Consequently, the analysis becomes more competitive, compared to the principal methods found in the specialized literature. Results considering a system composed of 45 buses, 72 transmission lines and 10 synchronous machines are presented. © 2003 IEEE.

Stability analysis of power system including facts (TCSC) effects by direct method approach

The problem of power system stability including the effects of a flexible alternating current transmission system (FACTS) is approached. First, the controlled series compensation is considered in the machine against infinite bar system and its effects are taken into account by means of construction of a Lyapunov function (LF). This simple system is helpful in order to understand the form the device affects dynamic and transient performance of the power system. After, the multimachine case is considered and it is shown that the single-machine results apply to multimachine systems. An energy-form Lyapunov function is derived for the power system including the FACTS device and it is used to analyse damping and synchronizing effects due to the FACTS device in single-machine as well as in multimachine power systems. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal stability of ionene polymers

Two different cationic polymers of the same chemical type and with very similar chemical structures were reacted with a natural bentonite over a wide range of polymer/clay ratios. This study involved the synthesis of cationic aliphatic ammonium polyionenes, specifically 3,6-ionene and 3,6-dodecylionene. Ionenes are ion-containing polymers that contain quaternary nitrogen atoms in the main macromolecular chain as opposed to a pendant chain. The CHN content, basal spacing, and elemental composition of each of the polymer-clay complexes were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, and thermogravimetry. All the polycations reacted to form interlayer complexes with clay, which displaced more Na+ and little Ca2+. Sodium and calcium were both present as interlayer cations in the clay and its complexes. The TG/DTG curves show that both polymers underwent thermal degradation in more than one stage. Specifically, 3,6-ionene was found to undergo two stages of decomposition and 3,6-dodecylionene undergo three stages. The behavior of the TG/DTG curves and the activation energy values suggest that 3,6-dodecylionene (E = 174,85 kJ mol-1) complexes have greater thermal stability than 3,6-ionene (E = 115,52 kJ mol-1) complexes. The mechanism of degradation suggests a direct interaction with the dodecyl chain containing 12 carbons, which are present in 3,6-dodecylionene but not in 3,6-ionene. © 2012 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.

Stability of trapped degenerate dipolar Bose and Fermi gases

Trapped degenerate dipolar Bose and Fermi gases of the cylindrical symmetry with the polarization vector along the symmetry axis are only stable for the strength of dipolar interaction below a critical value. In the case of bosons, the stability of such a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is investigated for different strengths of contact and dipolar interactions using a variational approximation and a numerical solution of a mean-field model. In the disc shape, with the polarization vector perpendicular to the plane of the disc, the atoms experience an overall dipolar repulsion and this fact should contribute to the stability. However, a complete numerical solution of the dynamics leads to the collapse of a strongly disc-shaped dipolar BEC due to the long-range anisotropic dipolar interaction. In the case of fermions, the stability of a trapped single-component degenerate dipolar Fermi gas is studied including the Hartree-Fock exchange and Brueckner-Goldstone correlation energies in the local-density approximation valid for a large number of atoms. Estimates for the maximum allowed number of polar Bose and Fermi molecules in the BEC and degenerate Fermi gas are given. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.

About the thermal stability and pore elimination in the ordered hexagonal mesoporous silica SBA-15

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of intrinsic nanoparticle pigmentation on the color stability of denture base acrylic resins

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Suitability of carbon fiber-reinforced polymers as power cable cores: Galvanic corrosion and thermal stability evaluation

The increasing demand for electrical energy and the difficulties involved in installing new transmission lines presents a global challenge. Transmission line cables need to conduct more current, which creates the problem of excessive cable sag and limits the distance between towers. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new cables that have low thermal expansion coefficients, low densities, and high resistance to mechanical stress and corrosion. Continuous fiber-reinforced polymers are now widely used in many industries, including electrical utilities, and provide properties that are superior to those of traditional ACSR (aluminum conductor steel reinforced) cables. Although composite core cables show good performance in terms of corrosion, the contact of carbon fibers with aluminum promotes galvanic corrosion, which compromises mechanical performance. In this work, three different fiber coatings were tested (phenol formaldehyde resin, epoxy-based resin, and epoxy resin with polyester braiding), with measurements of the galvanic current. The use of epoxy resin combined with polyester braiding provided the best inhibition of galvanic corrosion. Investigation of thermal stability revealed that use of phenol formaldehyde resin resulted in a higher glass transition temperature. On the other hand, a post-cure process applied to epoxy-based resin enabled it to achieve glass transition temperatures of up to 200 degrees C. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the stability of the RuCl2(triphenylphosphine)(2)(amine) complexes: Ligand substituent effects of cyclic and acyclic amines

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Potential Application in Energy Harvesting of Intermodal Energy Exchange in a Frame: FEM Analysis

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Social Stability Related to Sex Group Composition in the Cichlid Nile Tilapia

Aquaculture practices usually put the Nile tilapia in an artificial social environment, which males predominate due to their faster growth desirable for aquaculture purposes. Such a situation can increase male-male fighting because males are generally more aggressive than females, and also because fighting ability is similar within the same sex, leading to longer contests. As behavior has been used to infer welfare in several fish species, the aim of this study was to investigate whether sex composition affects agonistic interactions, social hierarchy and energetic demand in groups of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus; L.). Size-matched adult fish were divided in two treatments: MM = four males and MF = two males and two females (10 repetitions for each treatment). The experiment lasted for 11 days and social interactions (aggressiveness and rank order) were recorded at the 2nd, 6th and 10th days (15 min per day). Fish were food deprived and body weight loss was used to infer energetic cost. A higher frequency of lateral threat (Student’s t independent test; t = 2.55; p = 0.02) and total interactions (Student’s t independent test; t = -2.81; p = 0.01) was observed in the MF treatment. MM group showed unstable hierarchy (Binomial test, p = 0.04), which is considered a social stressor. However, mean weight loss was not affected by treatments (Student’s t independent test; t = -0.74; p = 0.47). These results support the idea that sexual composition affects aggressive interactions and destabilizes social hierarchy, but not energy cost