Remote Stress Research Articles

Crack–inclusion interaction in a quasicrystal medium with nonlocal effect

Quasicrystal (QC) materials are a type of innovative materials with long-range quasiperiodic translational symmetry and amorphous rotational symmetry. During the manufacturing process, various defects inevitably occur in QC materials. Therefore, studying the interaction between multiple defects and central cracks in QC materials can help reveal the fracture characteristics of defective materials. This study explores the interaction between a crack and a symmetrical-shaped inclusion in a QC medium with the nonlocal effect under the remote stress. Based on the transformation toughening and Eshelby’s inclusion theories, we propose formulas for calculating the stress intensity factor caused by inclusions near the crack tip in QC materials. The finite element method is applied to verify these formulas where a crack occurs near a circular inclusion. The comprehensive numerical results show the remarkable shielding or amplification effect of inclusions on the crack tips in the QC matrix. In addition, the boundary conditions, size and shape of the inclusions, and the nonlocal effect all influence the stress intensity factor and J-integral. This study provides a reference for the design and evaluation of the QC composites with crack–inclusion interactions.

Remote work demands and work-life balance: Moderating effect of perceived leadership behavior

This study investigates the relationship between remote work demands, work stress, and work-life balance among employees in the service sector, specifically those working in Information Technology companies. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced organizations to shift to a new mode of working, which has led to significant changes in work and family roles. Due to the unpredicted changes, remote work causes work stress among employees. A cross-sectional study was chosen, and data were gathered from 242 employees working in the service industry. A purposeful sampling technique is used, and data were collected using a questionnaire. Grounded with Conservation of Resources (COR) stress theory and transformational leadership theory, the result of moderated mediation analyses specifies that the negative influence of remote work demands on the work-life balance of employees is potentially increased by work stress and reversed by the influence of their leader’s behavior style, specifically transformational leadership. Through the dimensions of transformational leadership such as idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, intellectual simulation, the leaders help the individuals working in the team cope with stress and support them in all possible ways to achieve the goal. The outcome also signifies the moderating effect of gender on balancing work and life.

An incompressible liquid slit between dissimilar anisotropic elastic media

We use the Stroh sextic formalism to solve the generalized plane strain problem associated with a finite incompressible liquid slit lying between dissimilar anisotropic elastic half-planes subjected to a system of uniform remote stresses. The liquid slit admits an internal uniform hydrostatic stress field and is perfectly bonded to the surrounding media. By enforcing the interface conditions on the solid-solid and liquid-solid interfaces, a Riemann-Hilbert problem of vector form is obtained and is solved analytically using a decoupling procedure. An application of the residue theorem following the imposition of the incompressibility condition of the liquid slit leads to the determination of the internal uniform hydrostatic tension within the liquid slit. When the elastic bimaterial is orthotropic, the internal uniform hydrostatic tension is equal to the remote normal stress component perpendicular to the surfaces of the liquid slit. The presence of the liquid slit will inhibit crack growth along the anisotropic elastic bimaterial interface.

Influence of nearby fiber on fiber–matrix debonding: Coupled Criterion prediction and debonding shape determination

Fiber–matrix interface debonding in two-fiber specimens under remote tensile loading is studied both experimentally and numerically by means of a coupled stress and energy criterion. Depending on its relative position, the neighboring fiber induces a perturbation of both stress and energy fields at the reference fiber interface which results in asymmetrical debonding initiation and propagation. The determination of the debonding initiation and propagation shape is addressed based on either (i) stress isocontours, (ii) energy isocontours or (iii) the Coupled Criterion (CC). It was found that the debonding initiation configuration can be determined based on stress (respectively energy) isocontours for small (respectively large) enough interface brittleness number. For intermediate brittleness number, the debonding initiation configuration cannot be obtained using neither the stress nor the energy isocontours, but requires a coupling of both aspects. Despite different initiation debonding configurations, the corresponding initiation remote stresses do not differ much, which results in similar debonding configurations after unstable crack propagation following initiation.

Assessing the Impact of a Hybrid Work Model on Job Execution, Work-Life Balance, and Employee Satisfaction in a Technology Company

This study delves into the hybrid work model, focusing on the perspectives and experiences of employees within a Quezon City-based Technology Company specializing in industrial software and engineering. It contributes to the organization's goal of being a "Great Place to Work" by adapting to change while valuing well-being. The organization is deeply dedicated to creating a workplace where employee well-being, career growth, and overall happiness are top priorities. The study surveyed 354 employees to understand the impact of the hybrid work paradigm on individual and team deliverables. The study found that 84.4% of respondents believed the hybrid work model was effective in various ways. This includes job execution and teamwork, work-life balance and satisfaction, communication and collaboration, and overall experience. The survey result showed that the model is widely praised for its flexibility, improving work-life balance, and job satisfaction. Respondents agree that the hybrid model balances professional and personal well-being despite managerial expectations and workloads. The study also emphasizes the importance of communication in hybrid work teamwork. The research recognizes the benefits of remote communication tools but stresses the importance of face-to-face interactions, collaborative engagements, and team dynamics. The result of this study can be used to bring in new ideas and potential growth for the company, allowing it to develop innovative strategies and improve employee satisfaction. Embracing the concept of the hybrid work setup is a catalyst for success and ensures the well-being of all stakeholders.

Navigating Remote Work Stress and Performance: Coping Mechanisms among College Teachers

Navigating Remote Work Stress and Performance: Coping Mechanisms among College Teachers

Remote Learning and Stress in Mothers of Students with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder during the Covid-19 Lockdown

The Covid-19 lockdown and the implementation of remote learning brought challenges to children with ADHD and their parents. This research aimed to examine the spatial and technical preconditions and quality of support for children with ADHD during remote learning and to determine their mothers’ burdens with the children’s school tasks during the first lockdown. Another aim was to determine the degree of academic accommodation of teaching, the mother’s burden with the school tasks, and the impact of the intensity of the children’s difficulties on mothers' stress levels. The study had 61 mothers of children with ADHD, aged 30 to 53, as participants. Data were collected using an online questionnaire. The perspective of mothers showed that spatial conditions were not appropriate for holding online classes. Furthermore, teaching materials during online classes were not adapted to the child’s needs, teachers did not send teaching materials through the available online services in a proper manner, and more than a third of the mothers stated that there was no interactive teaching at all and that there was no individual contact with teachers. Most mothers state that they are burdened with the child’s school tasks more than compared to the period before the lockdown. It has also been shown that attention symptoms, lack of academic accommodations, and school workload have statistically significant effects on maternal stress.

Relationship Between Remote Work, Organizational Climate, and Work Stress on Employee Performance

The remote work system is developing to be a solution for increasing employee performance and one of the challenges is maintaining the organizational climate. Besides, remote work is expected to reduce stress. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to develop and empirically test a research model that includes these four factors. The developed model is a reflective construct. This study used a quantitative approach with the PLS-SEM technique with a total of 78 respondents. In addition, a multi-group analysis was carried out in the study to determine differences in results in gender. Data collection was carried out using a purposive sampling technique. The survey was distributed to research respondents from Tokopedia, Shopee, Bukalapak, Blibli, and Lazada. The results showed that remote work had a significant positive effect on employee performance, the organizational climate had a significant positive effect on remote work, and the organizational climate had a significant effect on work stress, and found a mediating role of remote work for the construct relationship between organizational climate and employee performance. The results of the multi-group analysis stated that in all the relationships studied, there was not enough evidence to accept significant differences in the male and female groups.

A new technique to measure the dynamic fracture toughness of solids

We propose and assess a new experimental technique to measure the fracture toughness of engineering materials and its sensitivity to strain rate. The proposed method is based on a ring expansion technique and it overcomes the limitations of current dynamic fracture tests, as it is not affected by transient stress wave propagation during loading and it results in spatially uniform remote stress and strain fields prior to fracture; the method is also suitable to achieve remote strain rates well in excess of 1000 s−1. We demonstrate the technique by measuring the plane-stress Mode I fracture toughness of PMMA specimens at remote strain rates ranging from 10−3 s−1 to 102 s−1. The experiments show an increase of the toughness of the material with increasing strain rate.

Analytical computation of stress intensity factor for active material particles of lithium ion batteries

The stress intensity factor is a widely used parameter in linear elastic fracture mechanics to assess the stress field near the crack tip, and it is usually defined as the product between the remote stress, the square root of the crack length, and a geometric factor depending on the geometry of the test specimen, the size and location of the crack. However, this well-established expression cannot be used in case of non-constant stress distribution on crack surfaces, typically resulting from diffusive field. This work presents an analytical procedure to compute the stress intensity factor due to any kind of stress distribution that can be expressed as a polynomial. Firstly, the non-constant stress distribution is expressed as a polynomial. Then, the stress intensity factor is computed according to the principle of superposition of effects, as the sum of the stress components of each single polynomial grade and the corresponding geometric factors. The geometric factors for sphere with central and superficial cracks are determined using a finite element model, and closed-form expressions for these geometric factors are provided as functions of a normalized geometric parameter. These functions can be used in case of any stress loading and spherical geometry. The analytical procedure is specifically applied to assess the stress intensity factor caused by stress resulting from lithium diffusion in active material particles of lithium ions batteries electrodes. The results are compared with those obtained using a multiphysics finite element fracture model, showing good agreement and demonstrating the accuracy of the proposed analytical procedure. Then, the procedure presented in this work enables avoiding expensive multiphysics simulations and can be used to develop fast, accurate, and computationally efficient lithium ion batteries degradation models for the online estimation of the capacity decay with charge/discharge cycles.

Role of interface tension in the thermoelastic analysis of inclusions: Unified formulation and closed-form results

We study the thermoelastic problem of an inclusion of general shape surrounded by a foreign elastic matrix under plane deformation and the influence of an in-plane far-field heat flux. The small-scale interface effects, related to not only interface conductivity, interface stretching rigidity and interface thermal expansion but also (residual) interface tension, are incorporated in the corresponding analysis. We establish general boundary value formulations in both heat conduction and thermoelasticity for an arbitrary inclusion shape, allowing for analytic or at least semi-analytic treatment of the problem. Specially, we derive closed-form solutions for the case of circular inclusion and obtain concise expressions for describing the remote heat flux-induced thermal stress near the interface (at both the inclusion side and matrix side). Surprisingly, it is shown that for the case of circular inclusion, interface tension plays the same role as interface stretching rigidity in determining the full thermal stress field, or in other words, the full thermal stress field depends on only the sum of interface tension and interface stretching rigidity but not on the specific value of either of them. Numerical examples are also given to illustrate the influence of interface tension on the von Mises stress distribution in the vicinity of the interface.

Multidisciplinary analysis of 3D seismotectonic modelling: a case study of Serre and Cittanova faults in the southern Calabrian Arc (Italy)

Active normal faulting and uplifting, consistent with a WNW-ESE-oriented regional extension, dominate the Quaternary tectonics of the southern Calabrian Arc. The main tectonic structures of this extensional domain are considered to be the source of numerous historical and recent strong earthquakes, among which the 1783 seismic sequence (M 6.5–7) was one of the most destructive earthquakes ever recorded in Southern Italy. Previous works on the seismotectonic of the Calabrian Arc indicate a disagreement on the attitude (E-dipping vs W-dipping) of the main seismogenic sources slicing across southern Calabria, whereby the seismotectonic framework is still debated. Following a multidisciplinary approach, based on morpho-structural and seismological data, the geometry at depth of the most reliable sources (i.e., Cittanova and Serre faults) was first modelled in a 3D environment to retrieve information about their seismic potential. The GNSS data from the permanent stations of RING/RDN and TopNETlive Italy networks have been processed in order to estimate the velocity field affecting this area. Then, data inversion allowed us to document a predominant WNW-ESE active extensional strain orthogonally to the modelled faults, consistent with the regional dynamics. The reliability of the model was tested using empirical relationships and fault response modelling simulation. Furthermore, slip tendency analysis revealed the propensity to slip of the modelled planes by applying a remote stress state derived from the kinematic-structural survey on fault planes.

Reactivation of Precambrian Faults by Deep Wastewater Injection in Midland Basin, Texas, and Performance Evaluation of Seismic Response Areas

ABSTRACT Fluid injection associated with oil field operations can induce earthquakes through perturbation to the balance between fault strength and tectonic stress. Induced seismicity generally does not respond immediately to changes in injection due to time-delayed diffusion of pressure and heterogeneous prestress conditions on seismogenic faults. After exploitation for over a century without significant seismicity, the Midland basin experienced a rapid increase in activity since mid-2020, including events as large as an ML 5.2 with many felt throughout the Midland and Odessa metropolitan area. In response to societal and industry concerns, the Texas Railroad Commission established Seismic Response Areas around Stanton and Gardendale, to address the possibility that deep wastewater disposal was triggering earthquakes. In this study, we present a detailed earthquake catalog covering 2020 and 2021 for the Midland basin derived from regional and private seismic network data. Hypocenters are computed using a velocity model calibrated with sonic logs. We compare the location and timing of seismicity with development, production, and disposal operations. Seismicity predominantly occurs within the Precambrian basement deeper than wastewater disposal and oil production. Faults delineated by relocated seismicity are optimally oriented for failure in the tectonic stress field, and their focal mechanisms are consistent with the inferred fault geometries. Neither the onset of seismicity nor the occurrence of large events correlates directly in time with hydraulic fracturing or changes in deep injection. Rather, faults appear to activate in response to cumulative deep disposal. However, we suspect that both pore pressure diffusion from deep disposal and remote poroelastic stress changes associated with fluid injection and extraction influence the recent increase in seismicity in the Midland basin. In either case, the regulation of deep wastewater injection in the seismic response areas has the potential to reduce the seismic hazard in the Midland basin.

Uniform in-plane stresses and strains inside an incompressible nonlinear elastic elliptical inhomogeneity

We establish the uniformity of the internal in-plane elastic field of stresses and strains inside an incompressible nonlinear elastic elliptical inhomogeneity embedded in an infinite linear isotropic elastic matrix subjected to uniform remote in-plane stresses. The nonlinear elastic material occupying the inhomogeneity can incorporate a power-law hardening material. The original boundary value problem is ultimately reduced to a single non-linear equation. It is proved rigorously that the non-linear equation has a unique solution. Once the non-linear equation is solved numerically, the uniform elastic field within the nonlinear elastic elliptical inhomogeneity and the non-uniform elastic field in the linear elastic matrix can be determined.

Formulation for Multiple Cracks Problem in Thermoelectric-Bonded Materials Using Hypersingular Integral Equations

New formulations are produced for problems associated with multiple cracks in the upper part of thermoelectric-bonded materials subjected to remote stress using hypersingular integral equations (HSIEs). The modified complex stress potential function method with the continuity conditions of the resultant electric force and displacement electric function, and temperature and resultant heat flux being continuous across the bonded materials’ interface, is used to develop these HSIEs. The unknown crack opening displacement function, electric current density, and energy flux load are mapped into the square root singularity function using the curved length coordinate method. The new HSIEs for multiple cracks in the upper part of thermoelectric-bonded materials can be obtained by applying the superposition principle. The appropriate quadrature formulas are then used to find stress intensity factors, with the traction along the crack as the right-hand term with the help of the curved length coordinate method. The general solutions of HSIEs for crack problems in thermoelectric-bonded materials are demonstrated with two substitutions and it is strictly confirmed with rigorous proof that: (i) the general solutions of HSIEs reduce to infinite materials if G1=G2, K1=K2, and E1=E2, and the values of the electric parts are α1=α2=0 and λ1=λ2=0; (ii) the general solutions of HSIEs reduce to half-plane materials if G2=0, and the values of α1=α2=0, λ1=λ2=0 and κ2=0. These substitutions also partially validate the general solution derived from this study.

Uniformity of anti-plane stresses inside a nonlinear elastic elliptical or parabolic inhomogeneity

We study the anti-plane strain problem associated with a p-Laplacian nonlinear elastic elliptical inhomogeneity embedded in an infinite linear elastic matrix subjected to uniform remote anti-plane stresses. A full-field exact solution is derived using complex variable techniques. It is proved that the stress field inside the elliptical inhomogeneity is nevertheless uniform. The uniformity of stresses is also observed inside a p-Laplacian nonlinear elastic parabolic inhomogeneity.

Remote working and work performance during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of remote work satisfaction, digital literacy, and cyberslacking

ABSTRACT Social distancing policies ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic have altered working conditions and created new job demands. This study adopted the Job Demands−Resources (JD−R) model to investigate the relationship between demands and strains (i.e. social isolation, remote work stress, and fear of COVID-19) and remote work satisfaction and remote work performance. Additionally, the study sought to identify the moderating roles of employees’ digital literacy and cyberslacking in the relationship between remote work satisfaction and remote work performance. After analysing data collected from a sample of 340 Iranian remote workers, results showed social isolation, remote work stress, and fear of COVID-19 related to remote work satisfaction negatively and decrease remote work performance through the mediation of remote work satisfaction. Moreover, digital literacy and cyberslacking moderated the relationship between remote work satisfaction and remote work performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. By linking job demands and strains, psychological states, and employee output, this research notably contributes to the literature on remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Remote work burnout, professional job stress, and employee emotional exhaustion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many studies have investigated how organizational support systems, remote work adaptation, and control over scheduling reduced psychological burnout and occupational stress, thus improving employee wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This systematic literature review has analyzed significant published peer-reviewed evidence concerning how remote employees lacking constant organizational support during the COVID-19 outbreak experienced escalated job demands, professional strain, low satisfaction and performance, and increased burnout. Throughout February 2023, a quantitative literature review covering scholarly databases such as the Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest was performed, with the following search terms: "COVID-19" + "remote work burnout," "COVID-19" + "professional job stress," and "COVID-19" + "employee emotional exhaustion." By inspecting research published between 2020 and 2022, a total of 311 articles satisfied the eligibility criteria. Excluding sources in PRISMA terms, 44 empirical sources were finally selected. Methodological quality assessment tools such as Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR), Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS), Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), and Systematic Review Data Repository (SRDR) were employed. Data visualization tools (VOSviewer and Dimensions), integrating layout algorithms and bibliometric mapping, were harnessed. The scope of this study does not include how taking breaks and time management in a psychologically safe environment prevented remote work burnout and increased productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequent analyses should be developed on how remote work time and stress management-by using burnout assessment tools-will result in coherent workplace behaviors and processes, meeting organizational expectations and reducing emotional stress and workplace pressure.

Analytical Investigation on the Shear Propagation Mechanism of Multi-Cracks in Brittle Tight Rocks under Compressive and Shear Loading Conditions

There is abundant shale oil in the ocean and on land. Due to the tight lithology of the reservoir, volume fracturing technology is needed to improve the oil and gas productivity. It is very important to study the expansion law of multiple natural fractures in rock masses and its influencing factors in the process of volume fracturing for the formation of fracture networks. Based on the theory of online elastic fracture mechanics, the calculation method of the stress intensity factor at the end of any I–II composite fracture is established by using effective shear stress and considering the influence of T-stress. The calculation model of the stress intensity factor of any fracture on the main fracture wall or the horizontal section of the main fracture wall is established according to the concrete stress conditions in the process of hydraulic fracturing. Based on the principle of stress superposition, the combined interference stress calculation model of fracture ends is established for the case of multiple penetrating cracks in infinite-plane rock masses. Based on the theory of shear failure and plane strain, a model of the initiation direction and condition of natural cracks on the horizontal section of the main fracture wall and both sides of the main fracture in brittle rock is established when there are many coaxial natural cracks under the action of remote site stress and water pressure on the fracture surface. According to the simulation results, on the main fracture wall, when σH > σv > σh or σH > σh > σv, when the crack angle (CA) is within a certain range and multiple natural cracks (MNC) exist, the required pressure for shear failure decreases. When the fracture angle exceeds a certain size, the required pressure increases. When there are MNC in the horizontal or perpendicular sections of the rock mass on both sides of the main fracture, the required net pressure for shear failure decreases within a certain CA range. When the CA exceeds a certain range, it increases or remains basically unchanged. On the whole, the presence of MNC reduces the net pressure for shear failure, which is conducive to the formation of fracture networks.

Women’s Work-Life Balance During Pandemic Covid 19

Pandemic Covid 19 changes many aspects of life. Many employees have to work from home (WFH) to reduce the spread of Covid19. This research is aimed to analyze the influence of remote working, work stress, work-family conflict, and workload on womens work-life balance. This study took quantitative data by using the SEMPLS method with 275 respondents. From this research, we found that all variables are having a direct and indirect effect on Work-Life Balance. All companies must maintain the work-life balance of women employees