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This paper is born of the joy and pain of institutional life. It responds to recent work by Craig Thompson and is a response to an invitation to participate from the Editor of the JMM (Mark Tadajewski). It seeks to take seriously the role of consumer research and consumption within society. It seeks to tell 'better stories' about the past, present and what it sees as a reimagined future for consumer research. To do so, it revisits some of the canonical works of consumer research, such exemplary work it suggests are worthy of revisiting and critiquing if we are to chart a rejuvenated form of consumer research that takes seriously our contemporary predicament and is more critical and incisive in its intent. With renewed purpose it takes on board the insights around Bauman's notion of 'liquid times', offers a range of opportunities, possibilities and dangers around the conflicted consumer self and puts forward an ABC of critical consumer research, where notions of affect, breakdown, contradiction are taken seriously for their theoretical and practical insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article addresses the performance analysis of Markovian retrial queueing system with two types of customers, unreliable server, and Bernoulli feedback. Both regular customers (RC) and prime customers (PC) may either join, or balk from the system based on the trade-off between service profit and delay cost. When the system is busy, the regular customers have to choose whether to join a retrial orbit and make re-attempts or leave the system. Furthermore, due to congestion among regular customers, the server may discontinue the service during breakdown. Due to the unavailability of the service process, customers may experience dissatisfaction. Therefore, our objective is to introduce a Bernoulli feedback service process to enhance service quality, ensuring that customers are successfully served with a certain probability. To analyze the proposed model mathematically, Chapman-Kolmogorov (C-K) inflow-outflow balanced equations have been framed. Then, the probability generating function (PGF) method employed to explicitly derive the queue size distribution, throughput, and other performance metrics. These performance measures provide critical insights into system behavior, which are then incorporated to determine the equilibrium strategies for two types of joining strategies: (i) non-cooperative strategies and (ii) cooperative strategies. Finally, optimization approaches are employed to determine the optimum cost and make tactical decisions regarding the quality of service (QoS) in an integrated manner. The cost optimization is done using metaheuristic optimization techniques such as PSO and GWO. The analytic results established are validated by numerical simulation. The effect of various parameters on the performance indices are examined by cost optimization and sensitivity analysis. The comparison of both algorithms, including average fitness, standard deviation, and convergence analysis, were used and combined with Wilcoxon rank-sum test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stem canker disease eastern filbert blight (EFB), caused by Anisogramma anomala , is a major impediment of European hazelnut (Corylus avellana) production in the United States. While most European hazelnut cultivars are highly susceptible to the pathogen, which remains confined to North America, EFB resistant and tolerant genotypes occur in the gene pool at low frequency. At Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA, 5,226 trees were grown from open pollinated seeds collected from Russia, Crimea, Poland, Turkey, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Italy, and the Republic of Georgia between 2002 to 2010. The trees were field planted, exposed to A. anomala under high pathogen pressure, and evaluated for disease response 5-6 years after their establishment. At this point, around four percent were found to be EFB resistant totaling 216 accessions that spanned a wide diversity of seedlots from most countries and regions. However, recent observations show many of these once-resistant selections have since succumbed to EFB. In this study, the long-term disease response of this germplasm was evaluated to identify trees remaining resistant and tolerant and document changes in EFB response over time in relation to their origin. All trees were rated for presence of EFB according to a scale of 0 to 5 where 0 = no EFB and 5 = all stems have cankers. Data were assembled from three sets: first reports from 5-6 years after each planting year, a reassessment in 2017, and a final evaluation in January 2024. Overall, the results showed a significant reduction in resistant individuals from the original reports. By 2017, the population of 216 trees was reduced to 154 and by 2024 it decreased further to 91. Notably, this shift from resistant to susceptible phenotype was severe and abrupt and patterns were observed within related seed lots. These patterns were also apparent in trees where their resistance (R) genes were mapped. Specifically, all selections with R genes mapped to linkage group (LG) 6 now expressed severe EFB, while those with R genes mapped to LG 2 or 7 remained free of disease. These results strongly suggest pathogenic variation present over time played a role in the breakdown of resistance. Fortunately, despite loss of some of the germplasm, a wide variety of trees spanning most collection origins still remain free of EFB. These 91 trees from 56 distinct seedlots originating from 7 countries are formally documented in this manuscript to facilitate their long-term preservation, continued evaluation and sharing, and to increase global awareness of this valuable genetic resource for future research and breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large polarization and high breakdown strength are the key to achieving an idea energy storage density in dielectric capacitors, but unfortunately the trade-off problem between them is difficult to evade, particularly for those dielectrics with different crystalline degrees. Herein, we propose an appropriate polarization-breakdown synergistic strategy of dielectric multilayer films through temperature gradient annealing. The dielectric properties of a serials of (Pb, La)(Zr, Ti)O 3 /SrTiO 3 /(Pb, La)(Zr, Ti)O 3 (PLZT/STO/PLZT) structures with different annealing temperature for each layer are compared. The optimum recoverable energy density of 57.9 J/cm3 is achieved at a high breakdown electric field of 5.78 MV/cm and a moderate maximum polarization of 22.5 μC/cm2. In addition to the role of suppressing the carriers transport of interlayer STO, the balance between polarization and breakdown strength in bottom and top PLZT layers with individual dielectric characteristics should be responsible for the enhanced energy storage performance (ESP). The results suggest that it is a feasible way to optimize the ESP of dielectric multilayer films through designing different stacking layer via temperature gradient annealing heat treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article features a mathematical model of wind drift of an ice field, which makes it possible to estimate the drift speed depending on the wind speed and size of the ice field, as well as the kinetic energy of the ice field that will be released after it collides with a fixed obstacle, and causes brittle fracture and the formation of fragments that pile up in front of stationary offshore structures. The basis for the study was the assumption that the effect of wind and water mass on the ice field can be described by methods used in aerodynamics and ship theory. The model of ice pile formation and estimation of its dimensions were based on the assumption that all kinetic energy of the ice field is spent on its brittle fracture, while the formation of the ice fragments pile occurs according to the same laws as in natural ice fragment accumulations: hummock ridges and stamukhas. The created model and computer modeling results can be applied for practical assessments, and forecasting of the dimensions of the ice computer simulation made it possible to relate the size of the pile of ice fragments near stationary platforms and terminals in Arctic seas and other ice-infested seas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samenvatting: Vandaag kampen we niet alleen met een (inter)nationaal tekort aan pleeggezinnen, we stellen ook vast dat het in Nederland en Vlaanderen geen uitzondering is dat pleegzorgplaatsingen omwille van negatieve redenen ongepland en vroegtijdig worden beëindigd, of anders gezegd eindigen in een 'breuk'. Hoewel we al inzicht hebben in de voorspellers, beschermende factoren en de gevolgen van die breuken, hebben we nog beperkte kennis over hoe pleegzorgers het volledige proces van zo'n breuk ervaren. Om die vraag te beantwoorden, werden semigestructureerde diepte-interviews met (voormalig) pleeggezinnen (N = 8) thematisch geanalyseerd. De resultaten laten zien dat de kiem van een breuk al wordt gelegd vlak voor (of bij) het begin van de plaatsing en dat die breuk doorsijpelt tot (lang) na de definitieve beëindiging en verhuis van het kind. De vijf hoofdthema's: 1) mijn gezin, een gezin of geen gezin?, 2) gezinnen onder druk, 3) niet over één nacht ijs, 4) verlost, maar verloren, en 5) de koek is op, geven een overzicht van welke noden, spanningen, twijfels en draag – en wilskracht pleegzorgers ervaren op de verschillende momenten in dat proces. In de discussie gaan we dieper in op de rol en de positie van breuken binnen pleegzorgtrajecten en de (na)zorg voor (voormalig) pleegzorgers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) offer an eco-friendly alternative to traditional Portland cement, yet their rheological properties, particularly in concrete mixtures, remain largely underexplored. This study conducted rheological tests to investigate the flow properties and thixotropic behavior of alkali-activated slag (AAS) concrete with varying water-to-binder (w/b) ratios and silicate modulus (Ms). The thixotropy of AAS concrete was assessed using the thixotropic index, breakdown area, and variations in apparent viscosity under different shear rates, revealing correlations between thixotropic behaviors and rheological parameters. Mixtures with lower Ms and w/b ratios showed limited slump values and rapid structural build-up due to increased interparticle connections. As Ms increased, enhanced thixotropic behaviors were observed, attributed to the rapid formation of early hydration products. This led to a significant increase in peak torque values and a slight decrease in equilibrium torque values at various rotational speeds. In turn, AAS concrete with higher Ms demonstrated improved fluidity and workability retention after thixotropic build-up was erased. The results of this study provide valuable insights into the flow and thixotropic behaviors of fresh AAS concretes for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-docking implementation pursues different goals, including integrating transportation, shorter delivery time, and cost reduction. In this paper, we proposed an operational approach to schedule the trucks in a cross-docking system considering the breakdown probability of the trucks, capacity constraint, and earliness penalty under a just-in-time approach. The proposed objective functions, to be minimized, represent the total completion time and the outbound trucks' earliness and tardiness. As our problem is an NP-hard, we used genetic algorithm functions with a non-dominated sorting procedure, and particle swarm optimization algorithm to reach near-optimal solutions and compared these two algorithms using test problems with four different indexes; (1) quality (2) mean ideal distance, (3) diversity, and (4) the number of Pareto solutions. We performed sensitivity analyses to show the sensitivity of breakdown rate and acceptable truck earliness and tardiness parameters on the objective functions. Results show that, based on our metric measures, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm has a better Pareto boundary and performs better than the particle swarm optimization algorithm. Finally, sensitivity analyses are performed to study the effect of (1) an upper bound of earliness, (2) an upper bound for tardiness, and (3) a change of the failure rate on the objective functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent technological advances have equipped vehicles with significant computational capacity, enabling Vehicular Fog Computing (VFC) for decentralized processing at the network edge. This study presents a novel queuing theory-based analytical model that addresses the challenges of breakdowns and server vacations in VFC. The model incorporates factors like intermittent connectivity, energy constraints, and vehicle failures. Numerical results show that optimizing repair rates can reduce average delay by 16.67 % , while decreasing vacation time reduces delays by 33.33 % . Conversely, higher breakdown rates increase delays by 50 % , emphasizing the need for effective maintenance strategies. These results offer insights into Quality of Service (QoS) improvements by adjusting decision parameters. The study concludes by highlighting open areas for future research to further enhance VFC performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study is on the cost dynamics which is concerned with finite queues in particular to susceptibility to server outages, threshold-driven recovery and Catastrophic events, but main focus is on balking behaviour of the customers. A thorough investigation of the financial implications of interruptions and efficacy to recovery strategies is done and to alleviate the impact of breakdowns, disasters and customer refusals the queue system designs through empirical research is conducted. Various recovery policies have been compared with the existing thresholds, and the study further endeavors to categorize the cost-effective approach to mitigate the economic concerns of server failures and catastrophic incidents. The study brings discernments on the expected development in the management of the queuing system along with the assistance in complete decision-making in cost efficiency and enhancement of the complete system performance.

Abstract\nIMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONNo tools or technologies exist to inform data-driven inspection schedules for wheelchairs. To develop such a schedule, this study identifies risk factors linked with manual wheelchair damage, part failures, and consequences and evaluates preferences for a new wheelchair servicing technology. A mixed methods study was performed with manual wheelchair users at The Ohio State University Martha Morehouse Clinic. Demographic data, wheelchair information, failure counts, and consequences suffered by the user were collected using surveys. Wheelchair usage was collected for a month using a sensor. A servicing smartphone app that connects with the sensor was demonstrated as a new servicing technology, and participant preferences were recorded. Thirty participants completed the survey testing procedures. Twenty-three collected usage data and eighteen collected it for over a week. At least 215 wheelchair part failures with an average of 13.4 ± 14.8 self-reported part failures and 4.7 ± 4.8 high-risk failures occurred in 12 months before the first study visit. Two weeks of collected data from 18 participants showed that normalised road shocks, age, and weight were associated with the condition of wheels and frames, as well as self-reported caster failures. Participants responded with a favourable preference for the new wheelchair servicing technology, with more than half of them interested in buying and using it. Risk factors like road shocks and user’s age and weight are associated with part damage towards failures and self-reported failures that risk injury. These factors can be modelled to develop and test the efficacy of wheelchair inspection schedules.Risk factors of sensor-recorded wheelchair usage and user demographic characteristics can be monitored to track wheelchair degradation and perform timely servicing.Collaboration among wheelchair users, caregivers, clinicians, technicians, and service providers is required to perform simple to complex tasks in wheelchair servicing.Healthcare plans and policies need to recognise the benefits of proactive wheelchair servicing and promote data as a tool for wheelchair servicing, preventing wheelchair part failures and consequences to the user.Risk factors of sensor-recorded wheelchair usage and user demographic characteristics can be monitored to track wheelchair degradation and perform timely servicing.Collaboration among wheelchair users, caregivers, clinicians, technicians, and service providers is required to perform simple to complex tasks in wheelchair servicing.Healthcare plans and policies need to recognise the benefits of proactive wheelchair servicing and promote data as a tool for wheelchair servicing, preventing wheelchair part failures and consequences to the user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliability of inverse-mode silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) under dc stress and its potential impact on the performance of basic analog amplifiers are investigated. In order to properly reflect the stress effects in various circuit applications, the degradations under three different configurations (active bias, diode connection, and off state) were experimentally characterized with the stress voltages applied up to 3000 s for each case. Based on the changes in the Gummel response, the degradations in device parameters such as current gain (β), transconductance (gm), and base-to-emitter resistance (rπ) were extracted and compared with the forward-mode counterpart. In addition, with the use of a small-signal equivalent model of a SiGe HBT, simple single-stage analog amplifiers were simulated as representative examples and their circuit-level performance metrics including gain and bandwidth were studied to estimate degradation characteristics with accumulated stress. It was found that transimpedance gain decreases and operation bandwidth increases to different levels due to device degradation, whereas a voltage amplifier exhibited much less changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Baghdad Science Journal is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Flows of an oil-glycerin system of immiscible Newtonian fluids, driven by the independent rotation of the boundaries of a vertical cylinder with axial rod are investigated numerically. Moderate lid rotation rates are shown to generate breakdown in the adjacent oil phase, associated to significant interface displacement and flow reversal. The vortex pattern and interface behavior are found to be very sensitive to the distinct and combined effects of fluids volume fraction and background rotation. In particular, a decrease of the oil phase volume causes bubble expansion and evolution into a ring type vortex prior to its suppression as it coalesces onto a convex shaped interface. In addition, the vortex structure may efficiently be prevented (enhanced) by means of low rates of sidewall counterrotation (co-rotation). Moreover, addition of swirl by means of the central rod rotation is found to have a considerable impact on the lid driven vortex flows characteristics in qualitative accord with prior experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the dielectric strength in vacuum, spark conditioning through repetitive breakdowns by AC or impulse voltage is an effective method. AC conditioning at commercial power frequencies has been widely used due to its cost‐effectiveness, but the breakdown voltage after AC conditioning is generally lower compared to impulse conditioning. We have confirmed that multiple breakdowns occur successively in a half cycle of AC voltage application. It is considered that the multiple breakdowns are harmful for conditioning and triggered due to the previous breakdown in the same half cycle. In this paper, we discuss dielectric strength improvement by high frequency AC conditioning and how the multiple breakdowns are induced. We experimentally confirmed that the AC conditioning effect is improved by increasing the frequency of AC voltage for different applied AC conditioning voltages in a sphere‐plane electrode system. We focused on the breakdown position from the light emission images during AC conditioning to investigate whether the multiple breakdowns were induced or affected by the previous breakdown. We found that the multiple breakdowns occurred close to the previous breakdown position. The multiple breakdowns would be induced by the collision of metal particles due to the previous breakdown with the counter electrode. These breakdowns do not contribute to removing protrusion and would lead to damage to the electrode surface. The increasing frequency of AC conditioning would suppress the multiple breakdowns and improve the dielectric strength in vacuum. © 2024 The Author(s). IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering published by Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines a comprehensive fieldwork methodology for discerning the origin of rock surfaces within a karst cave environment. This methodology is particularly utilized in a cave with breakdown morphology. Using Rača Cave in Lastovo, Croatia as a case study, we explore geological and morphological features through advanced surface analysis. The approach involves meticulous measurement of rock discontinuities, joint patterns, and surface formations. Cost-efficient and time-efficient data collection and processing during field-work were undertaken with FieldClino Move and Polycam applications on smartphones. Visualization techniques were employed to elucidate the interplay between erosion, deposition, and paleogenetic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impingement of drops of water and polymer solutions on a thin plate with a solitary round orifice is studied. The drop diameter before the impingement di coincides with that of the orifice dt and is equal to 3 mm. The drops fell from heights of 5, 10, and 20 mm, their velocities before the impingement amounting to 0.31, 0.44, and 0.63 m/s. The drops flew through the orifice touching slightly its edges. High-speed photography was used to fix different stages of the collision between a drop and the obstacle. It is found that a considerable deceleration of the jet by the orifice can be observable for the impingement parameters considered, down to the complete stopping of the drop flight. The mechanisms of the observable phenomena and the effect of different factors are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GaN photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSSs) with low leakage current and large on-state current are suitable for several applications, including fast switching and high-power electromagnetic pulse equipment. This paper demonstrates a high-power GaN lateral PCSS device. An output peak current of 142.2 A is reached with an input voltage of 10.28 kV when the GaN lateral PCSS is intrinsically triggered. In addition, the method of retaining the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure between electrodes on PCSSs is proposed, which results in increasing the output peak current of the PCSS. The damage mechanism of the PCSS caused by a high electric field and high excitation laser energy is analyzed. The obtained results show that the high heat generated by the large current leads to the decomposition of GaN, and thus, the Ga forms a metal conductive path, resulting in the failure of the device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from an online questionnaire that collected experiences from the Facebook outage on October 4th, 2021, an event that affected approximately three billion users around the globe. The purpose of the study is to contribute to recent discussions digital disconnection and digital wellbeing by using an extraordinary event of involuntary disconnection as point of departure. Our research questions were: Where were people when the services shut down, what did they think and what did they do? What correlations can be found between usage/attitudes to social media and the experiences of the outage? How can the outage of October 4th be understood as a snapshot of our cultural condition? The questionnaire was distributed to 463 Swedish university students and 191 responses were received. Our analysis shows how the involuntary disconnection caused by the outage was an event that highlights the ambivalence of digital life. It also points to some correlations between general social media use and attitudes, and the experiences and activities during the outage. The paper ends with a discussion on the implications that these findings may have for further research into digital disconnection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study is on the cost dynamics which is concerned with finite queues in particular to susceptibility to server outages, thresholddriven recovery and Catastrophic events, but main focus is on balking behaviour of the customers. A thorough investigation of the financial implications of interruptions and efficacy to recovery strategies is done and to alleviate the impact of breakdowns, disasters and customer refusals the queue system designs through empirical research is conducted. Various recovery policies have been compared with the existing thresholds, and the study further endeavors to categorize the cost-effective approach to mitigate the economic concerns of server failures and catastrophic incidents. The study brings discernments on the expected development in the management of the queuing system along with the assistance in complete decision-making in cost efficiency and enhancement of the complete system performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurring bottlenecks significantly contribute to urban freeway congestion, making their analysis essential. This study examines six bottlenecks on Beijing’s Ring Road using multi-day data, identifying them via Dynamic Time Warping and Fuzzy C-Means Clustering (DTW+FCM). Key parameters—free-flow speed, critical speed, critical density, and jam density—are calibrated using fundamental diagram models. The Weibull distribution analyzes flow and speed patterns during congestion phases. The DTW+FCM method effectively identified bottlenecks and congestion levels. Severe congestion lasting over 10 hours on the West Second and Third Ring Roads averaged speeds of 15 km/h. The S3 model best fits data for the West Ring Roads, while the Van Aerde model suits the North Ring Roads. Different methods yield varying traffic capacity estimates, highlighting the need for nuanced approaches in urban expressway planning to maintain traffic quality and comfort. These findings offer valuable guidance for research and practical traffic management solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of self-assembled monolayers (SAM) into cobalt (Co)/porous low-dielectric-constant (low-k) dielectric interconnects is studied in terms of electrical characteristics and reliability in this work. Experimental results indicated that SAM derived from 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) improved breakdown field, time-dependent dielectric breakdown, and adhesion for Co/porous low-k integrated interconnects. However, the improvement magnitude was not large as compared to SAM in the Cu/porous low-k integration. Therefore, the integration of SAM into Co/porous low-k interconnects has a positive effect; however, in order to further promote the efficiency of SAM for Co/porous low-k interconnects, the option of precursors for the growth of SAM is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stem canker disease eastern filbert blight (EFB), caused by Anisogramma anomala, is a major impediment of European hazelnut (Corylus avellana) production in the United States. While most European hazelnut cultivars are highly susceptible to the pathogen, which remains confined to North America, EFB resistant and tolerant genotypes occur in the gene pool at low frequency. At Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA, 5,226 trees were grown from open pollinated seeds collected from Russia, Crimea, Poland, Turkey, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Italy, and the Republic of Georgia between 2002 to 2010. The trees were field planted, exposed to A. anomala under high pathogen pressure, and evaluated for disease response 5-6 years after their establishment. At this point, around four percent were found to be EFB resistant totaling 216 accessions that spanned a wide diversity of seedlots from most countries and regions. However, recent observations show many of these once-resistant selections have since succumbed to EFB. In this study, the long-term disease response of this germplasm was evaluated to identify trees remaining resistant and tolerant and document changes in EFB response over time in relation to their origin. All trees were rated for presence of EFB according to a scale of 0 to 5 where 0 = no EFB and 5 = all stems have cankers. Data were assembled from three sets: first reports from 5-6 years after each planting year, a reassessment in 2017, and a final evaluation in January 2024. Overall, the results showed a significant reduction in resistant individuals from the original reports. By 2017, the population of 216 trees was reduced to 154 and by 2024 it decreased further to 91. Notably, this shift from resistant to susceptible phenotype was severe and abrupt and patterns were observed within related seed lots. These patterns were also apparent in trees where their resistance (R) genes were mapped. Specifically, all selections with R genes mapped to linkage group (LG) 6 now expressed severe EFB, while those with R genes mapped to LG 2 or 7 remained free of disease. These results strongly suggest pathogenic variation present over time played a role in the breakdown of resistance. Fortunately, despite loss of some of the germplasm, a wide variety of trees spanning most collection origins still remain free of EFB. These 91 trees from 56 distinct seedlots originating from 7 countries are formally documented in this manuscript to facilitate their long-term preservation, continued evaluation and sharing, and to increase global awareness of this valuable genetic resource for future research and breeding.

We embarked on a comprehensive exploration of a single server queueing design, with a specific focus on handling soft failures. Soft failures refer to instances where customers do not need to be removed but rather need to wait for the server to be reactivated. These occurrences can happen at any time during the server's operation. When a soft failure occurs, the process automatically initiates a repair action, which we will refer to as the self-healing time. This self-healing time is relatively short, as the server possesses a remarkable restoration capability. Once the repair is complete, the server resumes its service provision and resumes normal operations. Moreover, during periods of prolonged idleness, the server can enter a dormant state, akin to a vacation mode. This dormant state is triggered when the server awaits the accumulation of N or more users. Once the threshold is reached, the server transitions into a busy state and resumes its normal operations. This study represents the pioneering integration of soft failures with the N policy, marking the first of its kind in this field. Additionally, we provide explicit expressions for the transient probabilities of the model, employing generating function methodology and Laplace transform techniques. Furthermore, we include performance measures and a numerical component to underscore the significance of the model's parameters.

As unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) continue to be adapted to new applications, an emerging area lacks proper guidance for global route optimization methodology. This area is surveillance. In autonomous surveillance applications, a UGV is equipped with a sensor that receives data within a specific range from the vehicle while it traverses the environment. In this paper, the ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm was adapted to the UGV surveillance problem to solve for optimal paths within sub-areas. To do so, the problem was modeled as the covering salesman problem (CSP). This is one of the first applications using ACO to solve the CSP. Then, a genetic algorithm (GA) was used to schedule a fleet of UGVs to scan several sub-areas such that the total distance is minimized. Initially, these paths are infeasible because of the sharp turning angles. Thus, they are improved using two methods of path refinement (namely, the corner-cutting and Reeds–Shepp methods) such that the kinematic constraints of the vehicles are met. Several test case scenarios were developed for Goheung, South Korea, to validate the proposed methodology. The promising results presented in this article highlight the effectiveness of the proposed methodology for UGV surveillance applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eastern filbert blight (EFB), caused by Anisogramma anomala, is the primary limiting factor for hazelnut (Corylus sp.) production in the United States. In this study, 82 cultivars and selections shown to be resistant or tolerant to EFB in Oregon were field planted in New Jersey in 2017 and 2019 and evaluated for their EFB response under high disease pressure. The trees carry known single resistance (R) genes with most mapped to their respective linkage groups (LG), including LG2, LG6, and LG7, or they express quantitative resistance (QR, horizontal resistance). Disease incidence and severity was documented, stem cankers counted and measured, and the proportion of diseased wood calculated. The EFB disease response of some cultivars/selections varied considerably between New Jersey and Oregon while others were consistent. Trends were observed in relation to resistance source origin and LGs, which provide insight into durability and usefulness of resistance. In striking contrast to Oregon, nearly all selections with R-genes mapped to LG6, including those carrying the ‘Gasaway’ resistance allele, exhibited severe EFB infections (232 of 266 [87%]). This finding is of consequence since the U.S. hazelnut industry currently relies solely on LG6 resistance for EFB resistance. Further, for the first time, EFB was observed on several selections carrying LG7 resistance, specifically offspring of ‘Ratoli’ from Spain. Interestingly, selections carrying LG7 resistance from origins other than ‘Ratoli’ remained free of EFB, with one exception, all selections carrying LG2 (n=9) resistance also remained free from EFB. Interestingly, the EFB responses of selections expressing QR (n=26) more closely resembled the disease phenotypes they exhibited in Oregon. Overall, the divergence in EFB response between Oregon and New Jersey, where pathogen populations differ, supports the presence of pathogenic variation in A. anomala and highlights potential limitations of using single R-genes to manage the disease. Results also suggest trees expressing QR may be more stable across pathogenic populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The breakdown and discharge ignition in discharge tubes with a diameter of about 1 cm and a length of 80 cm in inert gases (neon, argon, krypton, and xenon) at a pressure of about 1 Torr are studied experimentally. The tube is illuminated by radiation from continuous or pulsed light sources in the visible spectrum range. A ramp voltage with a small slope steepness (of about 50 V/s) is applied to the anode of the tube. Previously, the authors established that under these conditions external illumination can increase the breakdown voltage in several times. This effect was explained by the appearance of a charge on the tube wall as a result of photodesorption of electrons from its inner surface. In this work, it is found that charging the wall begins only when the anode potential approaches the breakdown potential measured without illumination. In addition, it is found that during the increase in the voltage on the anode and charging the wall, the anode potential differs from the breakdown potential by a constant and small value (less than 200 V). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polypropylene (PP) has recently been actively investigated as a potential power cable insulation substitute for crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE). This is mainly due to PP's higher thermal withstand capability over XLPE. Notably, PP has much higher stiffness than XLPE and therefore needs to be modified with tougher materials to reduce its overall stiffness while maintaining its desirable dielectric properties. To date, many investigations have been conducted on the mechanical and dielectric effects of PP blended with various copolymers. Nevertheless, systematic investigations on the dielectric effects of PP blended with ethylene‐based copolymers having different ethylene contents are less explored. The current work therefore reports on the impact of different ethylene contents of ethylene‐based copolymers on the breakdown performances of PP. The findings reveal that PP blended with a copolymer having a low ethylene content (68.7 wt%) results in at least 11% higher breakdown performance than PP containing a copolymer having a high ethylene content (77.0 wt%). Specifically, PP containing 10 wt% of copolymers having 68.7 wt% of ethylene content results in comparable breakdown performance to XLPE (325 kV mm−1). These results suggest that ethylene‐based copolymers with an appropriately low ethylene content can be blended with PP to achieve desirable breakdown properties. Highlights: PP is blended with copolymers of varying amounts and ethylene contents.PP blended with low amounts of copolymers has good breakdown strength.PP blended with low ethylene level copolymers has favorable breakdown strength.PP blended with copolymers of low ethylene contents is desirable.The breakdown mechanisms are related with the structure and permittivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Adoption can provide a lifetime of benefits for children. Some adoptions however, experience severe challenges resulting in disruption, with children leaving home prematurely. This qualitative study in Northern Ireland used interviews with parents from thirteen families whose adoptions had disrupted, to explore their perspective on the experience. Key findings focused on issues relating to firstly, the adopted child; secondly, adoption services; and finally, the parents and other family members. The impact of early adverse experiences on the children (developmental trauma) played out through behaviours, often violent, that their parents found extremely challenging. These increased as the children aged and had serious effects on family life. The adoptive parents thought they could have been better prepared through the adoption process to face challenging behaviours and more appropriately supported to prevent disruption. When their adopted child was admitted to state care, the parents typically felt initial relief but also guilt and loss. After the child had left home, they generally wished for more involvement with him or her despite the difficulties experienced. This study confirmed previous findings about the extent of trauma experienced by some adoptive children, and the challenges that this may present to the adoptive parents. It highlighted how the manifestation of the trauma experienced by the child may lead to adoptive parents themselves experiencing primary or secondary trauma or compassion fatigue (defined in the Discussion section below) or a combination of all three. The preparation of adoptive parents should include greater awareness of possible challenges, and how to cope with these. The development of trauma-informed approaches to practice and service delivery is required to support families with adopted children more effectively. Co-production models for service development may assist in addressing the types of issues identified in post-adoption support services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bion’s concept of catastrophic change and Winnicott’s descriptions of madness and breakdown indicate experiences of fear: generally, fear that, despite being resisted all one’s life, is nevertheless the prerequisite for change and psychic growth. Here, the author tries to understand this phenomenon in a case study in which the maintenance of timelessness as a defence against reality and the creation of inseparability were central to the analysis. An external catastrophe then reactivated an internal catastrophe, leaded to more difference, to surprise, and to the renunciation of timelessness. The text examines the relationship between internal and external catastrophic change and breakdown as well as the role of surprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a single server queueing model with three service types, each with three phases, where customers arrive according to a Poisson process and the service time of each customer follows a Hyper-Erlang distribution. This study aims to analyze the impact of interruptions, such as breakdowns, repairs, and single working vacations, on the performance of the queueing system. The standby server activates whenever the main server experiences a breakdown. Using the matrix geometric method, we examine the steady-state probability vector of the model. Our results demonstrate the impact of these interruptions on system performance measures and provide a cost analysis. Finally, we present numerical examples to illustrate the practical applications of our findings in an image compression system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A thorough understanding of arc discharge mechanism as well as determination of arc discharge voltage at the nanometer scale remains challenging due to the complexities associated with electrode preparation and precisely maintaining nanoscale separations in experiments. This work addresses this challenge through a novel approach by accurately measuring electric breakdown/discharge voltages between Pt-coated Si electrodes with separations ranging from ∼5 nm to 370 nm using a combination of fixed and flexible nano-electrodes while inherently creating an ideal environment to mitigate the effect of mechanical vibrations on the measurement results. For separations of 10, 100, and 300 nm, the corresponding discharge voltages are ∼15, 75, and 160 V, respectively, with the apparent electric field for the 10 nm separation exceeding 1.5 GV m−1. The results acquired from the investigated electrode configuration closely resembling the laterally actuated nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) cantilever relays reveals strong agreement with NEMS relay breakdown characteristics, emphasizing the importance of arc discharge considerations while designing micro/nano electromechanical devices. Furthermore, deliberately applied arc discharge is shown to provide electrode nano-welding for realization of configurable NEMS circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article presents an overview of bulk arrival and bulk service with breakdown QM's. The concept of bulk arrivals and bulk service has a new significance in the world of reality. To prevent the problem of traffic congestion, researchers must concentrate their efforts on developing models and processes to address the issue. Numerical methods of QM's are critical in many industries, notably in production lines, to alleviate traffic congestion. This study seeks to give analysts, researchers, and industry professionals enough information to model congestion problems and extract various performance indicators to improve the QS's. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single server retrial fuzzy queuing model is presented in this study. An unreliable FM/FM/1 fuzzy retrial queue with a virtually unlimited retrial orbit and a standard queue is investigated. After an unspecified amount of time has elapsed and the server is workable and inactive, orbit patrons don't rejoin the regular queue, but instead, enter the server momentarily. Customers who arrive and discover the server is engaged or has struggled are placed in the regular queue, whereas customers who are disrupted are always placed in orbit. The model's prosecution proportions are also calculated in a hazy environment. The main goal of this investigation is to compare the efficacy of a single server retrial queuing system based on fuzzy queuing theory and intuitionistic fuzzy queuing theory. The arrival, service, failure, orbit, and repair rates are documented using triangular and triangular intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. The evaluation metrics for the fuzzy queuing theory model are proffered as a range of possible values, whereas the intuitionistic fuzzy queuing theory model encompasses a wide range of values. An approach is conducted to discover quality measures using a design protocol in which the fuzzy values are left alone and not repurposed to crisp values, allowing us to draw research findings in an ambiguous future. Two numerical problems are solved to emphasize the method's protracted survivability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated a flat-type p*-p LED composed of a p*-electrode with a local breakdown conductive channel (LBCC) formed in the p-type electrode region by applying reverse bias. By locally connecting the p*-electrode to the n-type layer via an LBCC, a flat-type LED structure is applied that can replace the n-type electrode without a mesa-etching process. Flat-type p*-p LEDs, devoid of the mesa process, demonstrate outstanding characteristics, boasting comparable light output power to conventional mesa-type n-p LEDs at the same injection current. However, they incur higher operating voltages, attributed to the smaller size of the p* region used as the n-type electrode compared to conventional n-p LEDs. Therefore, despite having comparable external quantum efficiency stemming from similar light output, flat-type p*-p LEDs exhibit diminished wall-plug efficiency (WPE) and voltage efficiency (VE) owing to elevated operating voltages. To address this, our study aimed to mitigate the series resistance of flat-type p*-p LEDs by augmenting the number of LBCCs to enhance the contact area, thereby reducing overall resistance. This structure holds promise for elevating WPE and VE by aligning the operating voltage more closely with that of mesa-type n-p LEDs. Consequently, rectifying the issue of high operating voltages in planar p*-p LEDs enables the creation of efficient LEDs devoid of crystal defects resulting from mesa-etching processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric motors are widely applied as electrical equipment that rotates at high speeds in high-temperature and high-voltage environments, with epoxy resin being the main material used to reinforce the structure of the motor. Taking epoxy resin as the research object in this work, comprehensive analysis was carried out to investigate its various physical properties. The frequency conversion dielectric performance of epoxy resin was tested and its perforation morphology was analyzed. The test results were used as corresponding parameters to establish a combined model of electrical and thermal breakdown for the reinforced structure. The dynamic performance, static mechanical performance, and stress relaxation performance of the epoxy resin at different temperatures were also tested, and a viscoelastic constitutive model of epoxy-reinforced structures was established and verified through stress relaxation tests. The research results of the breakdown and viscoelastic models can serve as a reference for the application of epoxy resin-reinforced structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]