Temporary Disconnection Research Articles

“How Can You Be a Feminist if You’re Always Online?” Online Activisms, Ambivalence, and Dis/Connection

Digital presence and participation are often imagined as essential for contemporary feminist practices and identities. However, feminist engagements with digital and social media platforms can be tempered by drawbacks and tensions. This leads activists and everyday feminists to the need to negotiate digital dis/connection in their everyday lives. This article explores the affective dimensions of social media dis/connection in feminist contexts, grounding it on 22 in-depth interviews with people engaged with online feminisms and activisms in the Portuguese context. The article foregrounds the relationship between digital activisms and different affective ambiences, both internal and platform-driven. It explores the pressures felt by activists, the sense of disillusionment that paradoxically co-exists with discourses of political potential of social media, and, finally, practices of partial or temporary disconnection that emerge as means to negotiate the affective ambivalences of digital activism.

Studying digital disconnection: A mapping review of empirical contributions to disconnection studies

As digital connectivity continues to shape society, scholarly discourses have paid increasing attention to our desires to moderate our use of, or disconnection from, digital media. Digital disconnection is being studied from a plethora of different perspectives, all of which grapple with the challenge of understanding and studying how digital media users navigate pressures to disconnect and remain connected at the same time. We contribute to the growing literature on digital disconnection by taking stock of empirical studies on the topic through a mapping review. Drawing on 138 peer-reviewed articles, we report the different kinds of disconnection behaviors studied, the users sampled, and the methods used. Our findings indicate that, while there are various calls for the greater incorporation of intersectional and socioeconomically diverse perspectives on disconnection studies, thus far these facets remain comparatively under-researched. We also find two key methodological tendencies, one toward one-time data generation via interviews and surveys, the other toward studies that rely on participants’ temporary disconnection.

Price promises, trust deficits and energy justice: Public perceptions of hydrogen homes

In an era characterised by political instability, economic uncertainty and mounting environmental pressures, hydrogen fuel is being positioned as a critical piece of the global energy security and clean energy agenda. The policy push is noteworthy in the United Kingdom, where the government is targeting industrial decarbonisation via hydrogen, while exploring a potential role for hydrogen-fuelled home appliances. Despite the imperative to secure social acceptance for accelerating the diffusion of low-carbon energy technologies, public perceptions of hydrogen homes remain largely underexplored by the researcher community. In response, this analysis draws on extensive focus group data to understand the multi-dimensional nature of social acceptance in the context of the domestic hydrogen transition. Through an integrated, mixed-methods multigroup analysis, the study demonstrates that socio-political and market acceptance are strongly interlinked, owing to a trust deficit in the government and energy industry, coupled to underlying dissatisfaction with energy markets. At the community level, hydrogen homes are perceived as a potentially positive mechanism for industrial regeneration and local economic development. Households consider short-term disruptive impacts to be tolerable, provided temporary disconnection from the gas grid does not exceed three days. However, to strengthen social acceptance, clearer communication is needed regarding the spatial dynamics and equity implications of the transition. The analysis concludes that existing trust deficits will need to be overcome, which entails fulfilling not only a ‘price promise’ on the cost of hydrogen appliances, but also enacting a ‘price pledge' on energy bills. These deliverables are fundamental to securing social acceptance for hydrogen homes.

Utility disconnection protections and the incidence of energy insecurity in the United States

Energy insecurity-the inability to secure one's energy needs-impacts millions of Americans each year. A particularly severe instance of energy insecurity is when a utility disconnects a household from service, affecting its ability to refrigerate perishable food, purchase medicine, or maintain adequate temperatures. Governments can protect vulnerable populations from disconnections through policies, such as shutoff moratoria or seasonal protections that limit disconnections during extreme weather months. We take advantage of the temporary disconnection moratoria that states implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic to assess the efficacy of state protections on rates of disconnection, spending across other essential needs, and uptake of bill payment assistance. We find that protections reduce disconnections and the need for households to forgo other expenses. We further find that protections are most beneficial to people of color and households with young children. We conclude with a discussion of the policy implications for energy-insecure populations.

Classification of Events Violating the Safety of Physical Layers in Fiber-Optic Network Infrastructures

Fiber-optic network infrastructures are crucial for the transmission of data over long and short distances. Fiber optics are also preferred for the infrastructure of in-building data communications. In this study, we use polarization analysis to ensure the security of the optical fiber/cables of the physical layer. This method exploits the changes induced by mechanical vibrations to polarization states, which can be easily detected using a polarization beam splitter and a balancing photodetector. We use machine learning to classify selected events that violate the safety of the physical layer, such as manipulation or temporary disconnection of connectors. The results show the resting state can be accurately distinguished from selected security breaches for a fiber route subjected to environmental disturbances, where individual events can be classified with nearly 99% accuracy.

지상관제시스템과의 일시적 통신 단절을 고려한 모델기반 쿼드로터 위치 영역 예측 기법

High-efficiency communication methods, such as beamforming, are used for high-capacity data transmission—from UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to the ground in real- time. However, the directivity of beamforming and high mobility of the quadrotor necessitate continuous positioning to calculate optimal channels. Herein, we propose a quadrotor position boundary prediction method using a model-based filter for tracking a quadrotor with temporary disconnection. For accurate model-based state prediction, the parameters of the quadrotor are estimated using a model-based extended Kalman filter when communication is possible at the beginning of the flight. If communication with the quadrotor is not reliable, the estimated model parameters and dynamic models are used to predict the position and attitude of the quadrotor and calculate a boundary where the quadrotor can be located. The proposed algorithm was verified using Monte Carlo simulation. Simulations confirmed that the actual quadrotor trajectory was within the expected boundaries for position error.

Digital detox tourism: Practices of analogization

Technological disconnectivity has turned into a tourist attraction in its own right: digital detox tourism celebrates temporary disconnection as a means for experiencing an “authentic” world. With pervasive digital media and a strong impetus to being available 24/7, this tourism has to answer not only the question of what has to be done to become disconnected, but also it has to highlight the pleasures disconnection may afford. Drawing on two case studies—a discourse analysis of self-organized unplugged travel writing and an ethnography of the detox event Camp Grounded—we argue that digital detox tourism relies heavily on staging and performing a distinction between the analog and the digital. The article introduces the notion “analogization” to capture practices, media, and infrastructure which support the creation and the blurring of this distinction. Thus, we argue that analogization, in contrast to digitalization, emphasizes that there is no “analog” per se.

Creating opportunities for temporary disconnection: How tourism professionals provide alternatives to being permanently online

The ongoing normalization of digital connection has also increased the interest in digital disconnection research. The desire to disconnect is typically considered a critical reaction to the peculiar affordances and prerequisites of fully participating in digital society. While social and political potentials of disconnections as well as reasons to turn away from media are explored in various trajectories, we still know relatively little about the “what then” and “what else” of digital disconnection. In this article, we address this gap and investigate what stories are told and which imaginaries are invoked in order to commodify disconnection in an exemplary field of the growing disconnection industry, namely tourism. Drawing from interviews and analysis of online representations, we analyze how tourist marketers and accommodation providers in the Austrian province of Salzburg are communicating why people should use their vacation to disconnect and what they can expect to find once they are disconnected. Following our analysis, we identify three general themes of how disconnection is countered to living in deeply mediatized and highly connective times: (1) nature and authenticity, (2) (re-)connecting with the self, finding balance, and (3) connection to family/friends/local people. We conclude by discussing the broader implications of our analysis and what the identified ambivalences of disconnection suggest for further advancing disconnection research in the future.

ANOREXIA AS A WAY TO SUPPRESS THE LIBIDO OF TEENAGERS

This article examines the phenomenology of the secondary benefits of anorexia, namely, the use of this symptom to suppress libido in adolescents and young girls with hypertrophied internal and external religious prohibition on the part of parents to manifest their growing sexuality, due to physiology. The causes of anorexia are described in many scientific works, but the peculiarities of the influence of religious attitudes of parents on the formation of anorexia in adolescents are poorly disclosed. This article reveals the psychological mechanisms (replacing aggression and secondary benefits) that keep the problem and make it impossible to achieve a result in the treatment of this ailment. The article presents a sample of those who applied to a psychological center for help from parents of adolescents suffering from anorexia and at the same time having strong religious prejudices, which, in our opinion, affects the occurrence and retention of a negative symptom under certain circumstances. For successful therapy and prevention of anorexia, we have established what circumstances can contribute to the occurrence of anorexia in adolescents from families with a strong religious orientation. The key point in working with the girls with whom we managed to conduct psychoanalytic sessions was their temporary disconnection from their religious beliefs until a conscious choice in the future. This serves as a prerequisite for an effective solution to the problem, since the existing doubts about religion, what is good / bad, right / wrong, create a certain neurotic pressure and can lead to consequences such as anorexia.

Hidden Markov Model energy conservation approach for continuous monitoring of vital signs in geriatric care applications

In the recent healthcare crisis engendered by the Covid19 pandemic, wireless body area networking devices have started to play a significant role in mitigating the health problems of the elderly. The energy conservation of the device during the temporary disconnection of the sensor node can play a vital role in the broader acceptance of this technology. Here, a probabilistic hidden Markov model (HMM) is used for energy conservation, a relatively less explored area of energy conservation approach within the field of wireless sensor networks. Since the vital signs of heart rate and blood pressure are highly correlated, the heart rate and blood pressure readings are taken for model development. The classification of normal and critical data is based on the probability of observation sequences in the particular model. The hidden states are estimated using the observation sequence and the HMM parameters during disconnection. Accuracy between 0.9 and 1.0 is obtained for different series. Dynamic threshold limits are included for more adaptability of the model for varying physiological conditions of the patients. The energy conservation possible using the model is discussed. This model presents a novel approach to energy conservation using HMM, which will help continuous home monitoring of vital parameters in geriatrics.

Structural Memory Effects in Gold-4,4'-Bipyridine-Gold Single-Molecule Nanowires.

We study the vulnerability of single-molecule nanowires against a temporary disconnection of the junction. To this end, we compare the room and low-temperature junction formation trajectories along the opening and closing of gold–4,4′-bipyridine–gold single-molecule nanowires. In the low-temperature measurements, the cross-correlations between the opening and subsequent closing conductance traces demonstrate a strong structural memory effect: around half of the molecular opening traces exhibit similar, statistically dependent molecular features as the junction is closed again. This means that the junction stays rigid and the molecule remains protruding from one electrode even after the rupture of the junction, and therefore, the same single-molecule junction can be reestablished if the electrodes are closed again. In the room-temperature measurements, however, weak opening–closing correlations are found, indicating a significant rearrangement of the junction after the rupture and the related loss of structural memory effects.

Open repair of a type II endoleak facilitated by temporary disconnection of graft components.

Endoleaks are a frequent indication for reintervention after endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Here we present a method of open repair of a persistent type II endoleak involving graft component separation and reconstruction, in a patient with symptomatic interval aneurysmal sac enlargement despite endovascular coiling and embolization. This case report demonstrates an alternative open technique of endograft component separation and reconstruction that may be required in cases where open repair with sac exploration and vessel oversewing is hindered by the graft position.

Electronic screen technology use and connection to nature in Canadian adolescents: a mixed methods study

ObjectivesDeclines in exposure to nature may deprive young people of experiences that are positive for their mental health. One factor that may interfere with connections to nature is use of electronic screen technologies. The objectives of this study are to (1) document variations in the perceived importance of connections to nature nationally among adolescents; (2) explore relationships between these connections and the use of electronic screens, both epidemiologically and qualitatively; and (3) integrate core findings from both strands in order to provide evidence-based recommendations for health promotion.MethodsThe study involved a mixed methods design. Strand 1 involved a qualitative study of 74 Canadians (ages 10–18, years 2016–2018) with data collected through focus groups and interviews. Strand 2 involved a cross-sectional observational analysis of a national survey of 23,920 Canadians (ages 11–15, years 2013–2014). Findings from both strands were integrated through an established protocol.ResultsIncreased use of electronic screen technology was consistently associated with lower perceived importance of connections to nature. Barriers to connecting to nature included choices that young people are making, the addictive properties of technology, and beliefs that being indoors is more comfortable and safer than being outdoors. When young people disconnected, their appreciation of being outdoors increased.InterpretationThis novel study showed, quantitatively, that the time young people spend with electronic screens displaces time that they spend engaging in outdoor activities. Deeper reasons why such associations occur emerged in the qualitative strand. Temporary disconnection from screens may lead to renewed opportunities for outdoor exposures.

К проблеме определения параметров распределитель-ной сети по данным АИИС КУЭ

This paper dwells upon identifying the parameters of a four-wire three-phase 0.4-kV distribution grid (DG) using current and voltage vector data as measured by the automation instrumentation system for electricity metering (AIS EM) at the beginning of the DG and at each of its end users. It analyzes an earlier proposed method for identifying the resistance values if inter-user DG segments, which is based on modeling the physical processes in the grid circuits and equivalent transformations of its equivalent circuits. The paper further shows that these proposed transformations are not equivalent. At the same time, the found resistance values do correspond to the phase resistances of the inter-user segments provided that the neutral wire of the DG has resistance values of zero; the found values are not equal to the actual resistances of the four-wire grid. The paper proposes a novel method to solve this problem; the method is based on measuring the current and voltage vectors online in two different DG operation modes. If the current mode of the grid does not change, the AIS EM control unit may command a single temporary disconnection of an end user to invoke a different mode. Research results might be of use for designing AIS EM subsystems tasked to diagnose and control the electrical parameters of the distribution grid mainline as well as to monitor commercial and process-related electricity losses in it online.

Social Media, Interrupted: Users Recounting Temporary Disconnection on Instagram

This article looks at the discourses of Instagram users about interrupting the use of social or digital media, through hashtags such as “socialmediadetox,” “offline,” or “disconnecttoreconnect.” We identified three predominant themes: posts announcing or recounting voluntary interruption, mostly as a positive experience associated to regaining control over time, social relationships, and their own well-being; others actively campaigning for this type of disconnection, attempting to convert others; and disconnection as a lifestyle choice, or marketing products by association with disconnection imaginary. These discourses reproduce other public discourses in asserting the self-regulation of the use of social media as a social norm, where social media users are responsible for their well-being and where interruption is conveyed as a valid way to achieve that end. They also reveal how digital disconnection and interruption is increasingly reintegrated on social media as lifestyle, in cynical and ironic ways, and commodified and co-opted by businesses, benefiting from—and ultimately contributing to—the continued economic success of the platform. As Hesselberth, Karppi, or Fish have argued in relation to other forms of disconnection, discourses about Instagram interruptions are thus not transformative but restorative of the informational capitalism social media are part of.

A Data Parasitizing Scheme for Effective Health Monitoring in Wireless Body Area Networks

Wireless body area networks (WBANs) have emerged recently to provide health monitoring for chronic patients. In a WBAN, the patient's smartphone is deemed an appropriate sink to help forward the sensing data to back-end servers. Through a real-world case study, we observe that temporary disconnection between sensors and the associated smartphone can happen frequently due to postural changes, causing a significant amount of data to be lost forever. In this paper, we propose a scheme to parasitize the data in surrounding Wi-Fi networks whenever temporary disconnection occurs. Specifically, we model data parasitizing as an optimization problem, with the objective of maximizing the system lifetime without any data loss. Then, we propose an optimal offline algorithm to solve the problem, as well as an online algorithm that allows practical implementations. We have also implemented a prototype system, where the online algorithm serves as the underlying technique, based on Arduino. To evaluate our scheme, we conduct a series of experiments with the prototype system in controlled and real-world environments. The results show that the lifetime is prolonged by 100 times, and it could be further doubled if the health monitoring application permits a few packet losses.

Vibro-Acoustic Methods in the Condition Assessment of Power Transformers: A Survey

It has been over two decades since the publication of pioneer works about the power transformer diagnostics based on monitoring of their acoustic fingerprints. Since then, there has been great progress in this field and the methods used are as complex as ever. Any unnecessary intervention on a power transformer implies its temporary disconnection from the power grid. The inability to supply electricity to the customer means not only financial loss for the utility but also generates a non-material loss, e.g., the loss of reputation to the customer. Faster, more accurate, more reliable, and less invasive diagnosis is the main reason behind development and improvement in this field. The main goal of this paper is to categorize and review state-of-the art of vibro-acoustic diagnostic methods for power transformers. This paper opens with a brief note about continuous condition monitoring, after which we overview the causes of transformer vibrations as well as the collection and preprocessing of diagnostic data. Then, we review and categorize works related to the acoustic condition assessment of power transformers considering both: feature extraction in the time, frequency, time-frequency domain, and mathematical modeling and system identification of dynamic systems.

Применение самовосстанавливающихся элементов для электрической защиты солнечных батарей

The manifestation and formation of various defects in the process of exploitation in real photovoltaic cells and their compounds as well as their work in the regime of changing non-uniform illumination lead to the so-called series and parallel inconsistencies (differences of electrical characteristics) between separate cells and their groups. This results in local overheating and intensifying of degradation processes. In some cases temporary disconnection (isolation) of the corresponding elements of the solar batteries is more appropriate in order to increase their service life. In this work additional devices for insulation of overheating cells (and/or components) of solar batteries such as “PolySwith” resettable fuses are proposed to be used as a perspective solution of such problems. These structures are polymer composites with nanosized carbon fillers. Electrical resistance of such a fuse increases abruptly by several orders of magnitude when certain threshold temperature is reached, and when the temperature decreases the fuse returns to its initial high-conductivity state. This study investigates the possibilities of using the specified type of fuses for electrical insulation of «overheated» photovoltaic cells. Particular attention is paid to the research of the effect of fuses on the working of the solar batteries in the operating temperature range and their functional applicability in emergency situations associated with overheating. The studies were carried out using a model structure of several series of parallel connected photovoltaic cells and specified fuses. Attention is paid to the influence of such factors as the ambient temperature and the drift of the fuses resistance in the conducting state in the process their multiple switching. It has been established that such protection elements do not influence the work of solar batteries in operating temperature range and are functionally applicable for the electrical isolation of local regions and components of solar batteries with increased temperature.

Structural behavior of cable-stayed bridges after cable failure

This paper investigates the change of structural characteristics of steel cable-stayed bridges after cable failure. Cables, considered as the intermediate supports of cable-stayed bridges, can break or fail for several reasons, such as fire, direct vehicle clash accident, extreme weather conditions, and fatigue of cable or anchorage. Also, the replacement of cables can cause temporary disconnection. Because of the structural characteristics with various geometric nonlinearities of cable-stayed bridges, cable failure may cause significant change to the structural state and ultimate behavior. Until now, the characteristics of structural behavior after cable failure have rarely been studied. In this study, rational cable failure analysis is suggested to trace the new equilibrium with structural configuration after the cable failure. Also, the sequence of ultimate analysis for the structure that suffers cable failure is suggested, to study the change of ultimate behavior and load carrying capacity under specific live load conditions. Using these analysis methods, the statical behavior after individual cable failure is studied based on the change of structural configuration, and distribution of internal forces. Also, the change of the ultimate behavior and load carrying capacity under specific live load conditions is investigated, using the proposed analysis method. According to the study, significant change of the statical behavior and ultimate capacity occurs although just one cable fails.

Cell phone disconnection disrupts access to healthcare and health resources: A technology maintenance perspective

Over 50% of people in poverty in the United States no longer have a landline telephone, and this same population is more likely to have a no-contract cell phone plan requiring the continuous purchase of minutes. As a result, the poor may increasingly experience short-term phonelessness, which may disrupt access to healthcare and other services. To explore this we conducted 37 client interviews and 7 staff interviews at two free health clinics. Cell phone disconnection was a regular occurrence that delayed access to care and threatened client privacy. Temporary disconnection also contributed to lost employment, lost welfare benefits, and strains on social support networks—all of which are critical for optimizing health. Results are interpreted through a lens of technology maintenance, which argues that the poor will struggle to maintain digital access after ownership and public availability are realized. The potential worsening of health inequalities and related policy implications are discussed.