On the stability of the Motzkin representation of closed convex sets

A set is called Motzkin decomposable when it can be expressed as the Minkowski sum of a compact convex set with a closed convex cone. This paper analyzes the continuity properties of the set-valued mapping associating to each couple (C,D) formed by a compact convex set C and a closed convex cone D its Minkowski sum C + D. The continuity properties of other related mappings are also analyzed.

Pt- and Ru-Doped SnO2–Sb Anodes with High Stability in Alkaline Medium

Different Pt- and Ru-doped Ti/SnO2–Sb electrodes were synthesized by thermal decomposition. The effect of the gradual substitution of Sb by Ru in the nominal composition on the physicochemical and electrochemical properties were evaluated. The electrochemical stability of the electrodes was estimated from accelerated tests at 0.5 A cm–2 in 1 M NaOH. Both as-synthesized and deactivated electrodes were thoroughly characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The incorporation of a small amount (about 3 at. %) of both Pt and Ru into the SnO2–Sb electrodes produced a 400-times increase in their service life in alkaline medium, with no remarkable change in the electrocatalysis of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). It is concluded that the deactivation of the electrodes is promoted by alkaline dissolution of metal species and coating detachment at high potentials. The introduction of Pt has a coating compacting effect, and Ru(IV), at low amounts until 9.75 at. %, replaces the Sn(IV) cations in the rutile-like SnO2 structure to form a solid solution that strongly increases the stability of the electrodes. The observed Ru segregation and decreased stability for larger Ru contents (x > 9.75 at. %), together with the selective dissolution of Ru after deactivation, suggest that the formation of a homogeneous (RuδSn1−δ)O2 single-phase is crucial for the stabilization of these electrodes.

Stability in Linear Optimization Under Perturbations of the Left-Hand Side Coefficients

This paper studies stability properties of linear optimization problems with finitely many variables and an arbitrary number of constraints, when only left hand side coefficients can be perturbed. The coefficients of the constraints are assumed to be continuous functions with respect to an index which ranges on certain compact Hausdorff topological space, and these properties are preserved by the admissible perturbations. More in detail, the paper analyzes the continuity properties of the feasible set, the optimal set and the optimal value, as well as the preservation of desirable properties (boundedness, uniqueness) of the feasible and of the optimal sets, under sufficiently small perturbations.

Does immediate loading affect clinical and patient-centered outcomes of mandibular 2-unsplinted-implant overdenture? : a 2-year within-case analysis

Objective To provide 2-year clinical- and patient-oriented data with regard to mandibular overdenture assisted by 2 immediately loaded unsplinted implants. Material and methods In this pre-post design, Phase-I clinical trial, 18 edentate individuals (62.4 ± 7.7 years) received a new set of complete denture. Then, following standard procedures, 3 threaded implants (OsseoSpeed TX™, Dentsply Implants, Mölndal, Sweden) were placed in the mandible in each patient, and locator abutments (Zest Anchors LLC, Escondido, U.S.A.) were inserted on the right and left side implants. The midline implant served as a control for within-patient comparison. The immediate loading was conducted within 24 h of surgery. Data were collected at baseline (T0), 12 (T1) and 24 (T2) months after immediate loading. The clinical outcomes included implant survival rate, crestal bone level changes and implant stability. These criteria were assessed through clinical and radiographic examinations as well as resonance frequency analysis. Patient-centered outcomes included patient satisfaction and oral health-related quality of life measured using validated questionnaires. Brunner-Langer approach was used for statistical analysis. Results Implant survival rate for immediate loaded implants was 91.7% at 2-year follow-up. None of the unloaded implants failed. There was no statistically significant difference at baseline and follow-ups with regard to clinical outcomes between loaded and unloaded implants. Patient satisfaction and quality of life improved (p < 0.0001) from baseline to 2-year follow-up. Conclusion Immediate loading protocol did not negatively affect clinical outcomes, satisfaction and quality of life of patients wearing 2-unsplinted-implant mandibular overdenture for 2 years. This conclusion requires confirmation by randomized control trials. Clinical significance statement Mandibular overdenture assisted by two immediately-loaded unsplinted implants is successful treatment based on 2-year clinical and patient-based outcomes.

Enhancing financial stability in developing Asia. Bruegel Working Paper 2015/10, October 2015

This paper outlines guidelines for policymakers pursuing financial stability in developing Asia. It aims at supporting Asian policymakers’ judgment by providing policy views and recommendations that are based on the analysis of the recent sequence of events in the United States and Europe and of earlier crisis episodes, including those in Asia during the 1990s

Does immediate loading affect clinical and patient-centered outcomes of mandibular 2-unsplinted-implant overdenture? : a 2-year within-case analysis

Objective To provide 2-year clinical- and patient-oriented data with regard to mandibular overdenture assisted by 2 immediately loaded unsplinted implants. Material and methods In this pre-post design, Phase-I clinical trial, 18 edentate individuals (62.4 ± 7.7 years) received a new set of complete denture. Then, following standard procedures, 3 threaded implants (OsseoSpeed TX™, Dentsply Implants, Mölndal, Sweden) were placed in the mandible in each patient, and locator abutments (Zest Anchors LLC, Escondido, U.S.A.) were inserted on the right and left side implants. The midline implant served as a control for within-patient comparison. The immediate loading was conducted within 24 h of surgery. Data were collected at baseline (T0), 12 (T1) and 24 (T2) months after immediate loading. The clinical outcomes included implant survival rate, crestal bone level changes and implant stability. These criteria were assessed through clinical and radiographic examinations as well as resonance frequency analysis. Patient-centered outcomes included patient satisfaction and oral health-related quality of life measured using validated questionnaires. Brunner-Langer approach was used for statistical analysis. Results Implant survival rate for immediate loaded implants was 91.7% at 2-year follow-up. None of the unloaded implants failed. There was no statistically significant difference at baseline and follow-ups with regard to clinical outcomes between loaded and unloaded implants. Patient satisfaction and quality of life improved (p < 0.0001) from baseline to 2-year follow-up. Conclusion Immediate loading protocol did not negatively affect clinical outcomes, satisfaction and quality of life of patients wearing 2-unsplinted-implant mandibular overdenture for 2 years. This conclusion requires confirmation by randomized control trials. Clinical significance statement Mandibular overdenture assisted by two immediately-loaded unsplinted implants is successful treatment based on 2-year clinical and patient-based outcomes.

Sensitivity analysis of vehicle tripped rollover model. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Stability and convergence of variable order multistep methods,

Includes bibliographical references.

A systems analysis view of longitudinal flying qualities

"Flight Control Laboratory. Contract no. AF33(616)-5661. Project no. 1365-13553."

Council's analysis of the collective bargaining agreement between the United Auto Workers and General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler.

Cover title.

Proteome analysis of extracellular proteins regulated by the las and rhl quorum sensing systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

The las and rhl quorum sensing (QS) systems regulate the expression of several genes in response to cell density changes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Many of these genes encode surface-associated or secreted virulence factors. Proteins from stationary phase culture supernatants were collected from wild-type and P. aeruginosa PAO1 mutants deficient in one or more of the lasRI, rhIRI and vfr genes and analysed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. All mutants released significantly lower amounts of protein than the wild-type. Protein spot patterns from each strain were compared using image analysis and visible spot differences were identified using mass spectrometry. Several previously unknown OS-regulated proteins were characterized, including an aminopeptidase (PA2939), an endoproteinase (PrpL) and a unique 'hypothetical' protein (PA0572), which could not be detected in the culture supernatants of Delta/as mutants, although they were unaffected in Deltarhl mutants. Chitin-binding protein (CbpD) and a hypothetical protein (PA4944) with similarity to host factor I (HF-1) could not be detected when any of the lasRI or rhIRI genes were disrupted. Fourteen proteins were present at significantly greater levels in the culture supernatants of OS mutants, suggesting that QS may also negatively control the expression of some genes. Increased levels of two-partner secretion exoproteins (PA0041 and PA4625) were observed and may be linked to increased stability of their cognate transporters in a CS-defective background. Known QS-regulated extracellular proteins, including elastase (lasB), LasA protease (lasA) and alkaline metalloproteinase (aprA) were also detected.

Analysis of the phase behavior of the aqueous poly(ethylene glycol)-Ficoll system

The PEG-Ficoll polymer phase system is one that has been overlooked in the past for biotechnology applications because of the stability of its emulsions. However, new applications, such as emulsion coating of cells, are appearing that rely on this very property. Ficoll is highly polydisperse and multimodal with three distinct Ficoll peaks in gel permeation chromatography. As a result, the transition between one-phase and two-phase systems is blurred and the binodials obtained through turbidometric titration and tie-line analysis differ significantly. Moreover, since the three Ficoll peaks partition differently, tie-line analysis cannot be described by a simple model of the aqueous two-phase system. A simple modification to the model allowed for excellent fit, and this modification may prove well-suited for the many practical cases where aqueous two-phase systems fail to display parallel tie-lines as implicitly assumed in the simpler model.

The evaluation of the spatial and temporal stability of sugarcane farm performance based on yield and commercial cane sugar

In broader catchment scale investigations, there is a need to understand and ultimately exploit the spatial variation of agricultural crops for an improved economic return. In many instances, this spatial variation is temporally unstable and may be different for various crop attributes and crop species. In the Australian sugar industry, the opportunity arose to evaluate the performance of 231 farms in the Tully Mill area in far north Queensland using production information on cane yield (t/ha) and CCS ( a fresh weight measure of sucrose content in the cane) accumulated over a 12-year period. Such an arrangement of data can be expressed as a 3-way array where a farm x attribute x year matrix can be evaluated and interactions considered. Two multivariate techniques, the 3-way mixture method of clustering and the 3-mode principal component analysis, were employed to identify meaningful relationships between farms that performed similarly for both cane yield and CCS. In this context, farm has a spatial component and the aim of this analysis was to determine if systematic patterns in farm performance expressed by cane yield and CCS persisted over time. There was no spatial relationship between cane yield and CCS. However, the analysis revealed that the relationship between farms was remarkably stable from one year to the next for both attributes and there was some spatial aggregation of farm performance in parts of the mill area. This finding is important, since temporally consistent spatial variation may be exploited to improve regional production. Alternatively, the putative causes of the spatial variation may be explored to enhance the understanding of sugarcane production in the wet tropics of Australia.

Removal of the N-linked glycan structure from the peanut peroxidase prxPNC2: Influence on protein stability and activity

Lines of transgenic tobacco have been generated that are transformed with either the wild-type peanut peroxidase prxPNC2 cDNA, driven by the CaMV3 5S promoter (designated 35S::prxPNC2-WT) or a mutated PNC2 cDNA in which the asparagine residue (Asn(189)) associated with the point of glycan attachment (Asn(189)) has been replaced with alanine (designated 35S::prxPNC2-M). PCR, using genomic DNA as template, has confirmed the integration of the 35S::prxPNC2-WT and 35::prxPNC2-M constructs into the tobacco genome, and western analysis using anti-PNC2 antibodies has revealed that the prxPNC2-WT protein product (PNC2-WT) accumulates with a molecular mass of 34,670 Da, while the prxPNC2-M protein product (PNC2-M) accumulates with a molecular mass of 32,600 Da. Activity assays have shown that both PNC2-WT and PNC2-M proteins accumulate preferentially in the ionically-bound cell wall fraction, with a significantly higher relative accumulation of the PNC2-WT isoenzyme in the ionically-bound fraction when compared with the PNC2-M isoform. Kinetic analysis of the partially purified PNC2-WT isozyme revealed an affinity constant (apparent K-m) of 11.2 mM for the reductor substrate guaiacol and 1.29 mM for H2O2, while values of 11.9 mM and 1.12 mM were determined for the PNC2-M isozyme. A higher Arrenhius activation energy (E,,) was determined for the PNC2-M isozyme (22.9 kJ mol(-1)), when compared with the PNC2-WT isozyme (17.6 kJ mol(-1)), and enzyme assays have determined that the absence of the glycan influences the thermostability of the PNC2-M isozyme. These results are discussed with respect to the proposed roles of N-linked glycans attached to plant peroxidases. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is the method of signal analysis and test selection important for measuring standing balance in subjects with persistent whiplash?

Dizziness and or unsteadiness, associated with episodes of loss of balance, are frequent complaints in those suffering from persistent problems following a whiplash injury. Research has been inconclusive with respect to possible aetiology, discriminative tests and analyses used. The aim of this pilot research was to identify the test conditions and the most appropriate method for the analysis of sway that may differentiate subjects with persistent whiplash associated disorders (WAD) from healthy controls. The six conditions of the Clinical Test for Sensory Interaction in Balance was performed in both comfortable and tandem stance in 20 subjects with persistent WAD compared to 20 control subjects. The analyses were carried out using a traditional method of measurement, total sway distance, to results obtained from the use of wavelet analysis. Subjects with WAD were significantly less able to complete the tandem stance tests on a firm surface than controls. In comfortable stance, using wavelet analysis, significant differences between subjects with WAD and the control group were evident in total energy of the trace for all test conditions apart from eyes open on the firm surface. In contrast, the results of the analysis using total sway distance revealed no significant differences between groups across all six conditions. Wavelet analysis may be more appropriate for detecting disturbances in balance in whiplash subjects because the technique allows separation of the noise from the underlying systematic effect of sway. These findings will be used to direct future studies on the aeitiology of balance disturbances in WAD. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.