A small-gain theorem for nonlinear systems is established, which, when appl
ied to interconnections of locally input-to-state stable systems, can ensur
e the "local input-to-slate practical stability" of the interconnection. Th
is concept of stability denotes that the state of the interconnection remai
ns bounded for sufficiently small input and initial conditions, but it does
not tend to zero for zero input. (C) 1999 The Franklin Institute. Publishe
d by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.