The phrase "a preliminary time" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to an initial or early period designated for a specific purpose or event.
Example: "We will schedule a preliminary time for the meeting to discuss the project details."
Alternatives: "an initial timeframe" or "a provisional period".
OMAHA — A few hours after Matt Grevers posted a preliminary time in the 100-meter backstroke that was faster than his silver-medal swim at the 2008 Olympics, Annie Chandler dropped almost a second from her preliminary time in the semifinals of the 100-meter breaststroke.
The procedure involves a preliminary time series analysis in the frequency domain based on the periodogram, to determine the main cyclic patterns in the data, followed by modelling of the cyclic patterns found.
Based on the results of a preliminary time course experiment (10, 30 and 60 minutes - not shown) the assay was performed at 60 minutes.
In order to guarantee that Fe-deficient plants developed clear responses in agreement with Fe-deficient condition, a preliminary time course experiment on the expression of the Strategy I genes was performed at the root level.
A preliminary time course showed that choline entry was linear for at least 20 min (data not shown); thus, our incubation time was set at 10 min to ensure that choline uptake was measured under initial rate conditions throughout.
Furthermore, a preliminary time-dependent calibration of the OCM-2 sensor is performed with several match-up in-situ data to evaluate its radiometric performance for ocean color applications.
The optimal incubation period of virus-infected cells required for maximum bacterial adherence was determined to be 72 h in a preliminary time-course experiment (data not shown).
By integrating the output current, the system can measure the radiation dose for a preliminary chosen time.
Preliminary time course experiments in an SH-SY5Y xenograft model demonstrated that ATRA or 13cisRA were the principle retinoids in the plasma and tumour fractions after treatment with ATRA or 13cisRA respectively.
In the final, she swam a perfect tactical race, sliced six seconds off her preliminary time and soared onto the Olympic team.
Hardy, after posting the second-fastest preliminary time (24.63), finished in 24.48 in her semifinal.
