Design and pricing of maintenance service contract based on Nash non-cooperative game approach

Nowadays manufacturers are facing fierce challenge.Apart from the products,providing customers with multiple maintenance options in the service contract becomes more popular,since it can help to improve customer satisfaction,and ultimately promote sales and maximize profit for the manufacturer.By considering the combinations of corrective maintenance and preventive maintenance,totally three types of maintenance service contracts are designed.Moreover,attractive incentive and penalty mechanisms are adopted in the contracts.On this basis,Nash non-cooperative game is applied to analyze the revenue for both the manufacturer and customers,and so as to optimize the pricing mechanism of maintenance service contract and achieve a win-win situation.Numerical experiments are conducted.The results show that by taking into account the incentive and penalty mechanisms,the revenue can be improved for both the customers and manufacturer.Moreover,with the increase of repair rate and improvement factor in the preventive maintenance,the revenue will increase gradually for both the parties.

Reliability-BasedModel for Incomplete Preventive ReplacementMaintenance of Photovoltaic Power Systems

At present,the operation and maintenance of photovoltaic power generation systems mainly comprise regular maintenance,breakdown maintenance,and condition-based maintenance,which is very likely to lead to over-or under-repair of equipment.Therefore,a preventive maintenance and replacement strategy for PV power generation systems based on reliability as a constraint is proposed.First,a hybrid failure function with a decreasing service age factor and an increasing failure rate factor is introduced to describe the deterioration of PV power generation equipment,and the equipment is replaced when its reliability drops to the replacement threshold in the last cycle.Then,based on the reliability as a constraint,the average maintenance cost and availability of the equipment are considered,and the non-periodic incomplete maintenance model of the PV power generation system is established to obtain the optimal number of repairs,each maintenance cycle and the replacement cycle of the PV power generation system components.Next,the inverter of a PV power plant is used as a research object.The model in this paper is compared and analyzed with the equal cycle maintenance model without considering reliability and the maintenance model without considering the equipment replacement threshold,Through model comparison,when the optimal maintenance strategy is(0.80,4),the average maintenance cost of this paper’s model are decreased by 20.3%and 5.54%and the availability is increased by 0.2395% and 0.0337%,respectively,compared with the equal-cycle maintenance model without considering the reliability constraint and the maintenance model without considering the equipment replacement threshold.Therefore,this maintenance model can ensure the high reliability of PV plant operation while increasing the equipment availability to improve the system economy.

Remaining Useful Life Prediction Method for Multi-Component System Considering Maintenance:Subsea Christmas Tree System as A Case Study

Maintenance is an important technical measure to maintain and restore the performance status of equipment and ensure the safety of the production process in industrial production,and is an indispensable part of prediction and health management.However,most of the existing remaining useful life(RUL)prediction methods assume that there is no maintenance or only perfect maintenance during the whole life cycle;thus,the predicted RUL value of the system is obviously lower than its actual operating value.The complex environment of the system further increases the difficulty of maintenance,and its maintenance nodes and maintenance degree are limited by the construction period and working conditions,which increases the difficulty of RUL prediction.An RUL prediction method for a multi-omponent system based on the Wiener process considering maintenance is proposed.The performance degradation model of components is established by a dynamic Bayesian network as the initial model,which solves the uncertainty of insufficient data problems.Based on the experience of experts,the degree of degradation is divided according to Poisson process simulation random failure,and different maintenance strategies are used to estimate a variety of condition maintenance factors.An example of a subsea tree system is given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Mediating role of social support in dysphoria,despondency,and quality of life in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis

BACKGROUND Dysphoria and despondency are prevalent psychological issues in patients undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis(MHD)that significantly affect their quality of life(QOL).High levels of social support can significantly improve the physical and mental well-being of patients undergoing MHD.Currently,there is limited research on how social support mediates the relationship between dysphoria,despondency,and overall QOL in patients undergoing MHD.It is imperative to investigate this mediating effect to mitigate dysphoria and despondency in patients undergoing MHD,ultimately enhancing their overall QOL.AIM To investigate the mediating role of social support in relationships between dysphoria,despondency,and QOL among patients undergoing MHD.METHODS Participants comprised 289 patients undergoing MHD,who were selected using a random sampling approach.The Social Support Rating Scale,Self-Rating Anxiety Scale,Self-Rating Depression Scale,and QOL Scale were administered.Correlation analysis was performed to examine the associations between social support,dysphoria,despondency,and QOL in patients undergoing MHD.To assess the mediating impact of social support on dysphoria,despondency,and QOL in patients undergoing MHD,a bootstrap method was applied.RESULTS Significant correlations among social support,dysphoria,despondency,and quality in patients undergoing MHD were observed(all P<0.01).Dysphoria and despondency negatively correlated with social support and QOL(P<0.01).Dysphoria and despondency had negative predictive impacts on the QOL of patients undergoing MHD(P<0.05).The direct effect of dysphoria on QOL was statistically significant(P<0.05).Social support mediated the relationship between dysphoria and QOL,and this mediating effect was significant(P<0.05).Similarly,the direct effect of despondency on QOL was significant(P<0.05).Moreover,social support played a mediating role between despondency and QOL,with a significant mediating effect(P<0.05).CONCLUSION These findings suggest that social support plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between dysphoria,despondency,and QOL in patients undergoing MHD.

Research on Carbon Emission for Preventive Maintenance of Wind Turbine Gearbox Based on Stochastic Differential Equation

Time based maintenance(TBM)and condition based maintenance(CBM)are widely applied in many large wind farms to optimize the maintenance issues of wind turbine gearboxes,however,these maintenance strategies do not take into account environmental benefits during full life cycle such as carbon emissions issues.Hence,this article proposes a carbon emissions computing model for preventive maintenance activities of wind turbine gearboxes to solve the issue.Based on the change of the gearbox state during operation and the influence of external random factors on the gearbox state,a stochastic differential equation model(SDE)and corresponding carbon emission model are established,wherein SDE is applied to model the evolution of the device state,whereas carbon emission is used to implement carbon emissions computing.The simulation results indicate that the proposed preventive maintenance cannot ensure reliable operation of wind turbine gearboxes but reduce carbon emissions during their lifespan.Compared with TBM,CBM minimizes unit carbon emissions without influencing reliable operation,making it an effective maintenance method.

Azacitidine maintenance therapy for blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm allograft: A case report

BACKGROUND Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm(BPDCN)is a rare,highly invasive malignant neoplasm.There is no universally accepted standard of care because of its rarity and the dearth of prospective research.It is still challenging for some patients to achieve persistent clinical remission or cure,despite the success of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT),indicating that there is still a significant recurrence rate.We report a case of prevention of BPDCN allograft recurrence by azacitidine maintenance therapy and review the relevant literature.CASE SUMMARY We report a 41-year-old man with BPDCN who was admitted to hospital due to skin sclerosis for>5 mo’duration.BPDCN was diagnosed by combined clinical assessment and laboratory examinations.Following diagnosis,the patients underwent induction consolidation chemotherapy to achieve the first complete remission,followed by bridging allo-HSCT.Post-transplantation,azacitidine(75 mg/m2 for 7 d)was administered as maintenance therapy,with repeat administration every 4–6 wk and appropriate extension of the chemotherapy cycle.After 10 cycles,the patient has been disease free for 26 mo after transplantation.Regular assessments of bone marrow morphology,minimal residual disease,full donor chimerism,Epstein–Barr virus,and cytomegalovirus all yielded normal results with no abnormalities detected.CONCLUSION Azacitidine may be a safe and effective maintenance treatment for BPDCN following transplantation because there were no overt adverse events during the course of treatment.

A Maintenance Service Improvement Approach Based on Queue Networks: Application

The quest to increase the performance of production systems that have become complex leads to the transfer to the maintenance function of the responsibility of guaranteeing the availability of such systems. Also, we will never stop saying that maintenance must integrate into all of the company’s initiatives, to affirm its role, which is to ensure greater availability and sustainability of the means of production. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the reliability and availability of a system without knowing the distribution law of the operating times. Among the methods for evaluating dependability criteria (Fault Trees, Petri Nets, etc.), we are interested in queues that have the advantage of taking into account functional dependencies, thus allowing a quantified optimization of maintenance. Indeed, queues make it possible to model parallel or sequential processes, implementing operations taking place at the same time or one after the other, meeting the needs of modeling production systems. The main result of this paper is the study of the influence of availability on the reliability of a multi-state production system.

Translation Theory and Techniques in Optometry Literature: A Case Study of the “Optoform 80 Installation and Maintenance Manual”

Translation of specialized documents in optometry presents unique challenges,requiring a deep understanding of the professional context,terminology,and adherence to specific translation styles.This paper delves into the translation theory and techniques employed in the English-to-Chinese translation of the“Optoform 80 Installation and Maintenance Manual”,serving as a case study.Emphasizing Nida’s theory of functional equivalence,the paper explores the complexities of translating professional optometry literature,focusing on key points and common issues in translating installation and maintenance manuals for optometric devices.Special attention is given to the translation of professional terminology,employing methods such as addition,omission,conversion,and repetition.The translation process aims to meet specific requirements,ensuring accuracy and coherence while aligning with Chinese language conventions.The paper also analyzes translation methods and techniques concerning terminology,prepositions,conjunctions,and handling parallel elements based on practical insights from the Optoform 80 Manual.

Analysis of Detection and Monitoring Technology in the Construction and Maintenance of Large Bridges

Currently,there is significant attention placed on the construction,management,and maintenance of large service bridges.Within the realm of bridge maintenance management,the utilization of detection and monitoring technology is indispensable.By employing these technologies,we can effectively identify any structural defects within the bridge,promptly uncover unknown risks,proactively establish maintenance strategies,and prevent the rapid deterioration of bridge conditions.This article aims to explore the advantages of applying bridge monitoring and testing technology and to discuss various methods for implementing detection and monitoring technology throughout the construction,management,and maintenance phases of large bridges.Ultimately,this will contribute to ensuring the safe operation of large bridges.

Instrument Automation Control System Faults and Maintenance

This article explores the topic of fault diagnosis and maintenance strategies for instrument automation control systems,analyzing them through specific cases.The aim of this research is to improve the stability and reliability of the system by conducting a thorough investigation of faults and maintenance in instrument automation control systems.By doing so,this research hopes to provide a strong guarantee for the smooth progress of industrial production.

Load Testing in Bridge Maintenance

Highway bridges are a crucial component in road transportation networks.These bridges must be maintained according to usage requirements regularly.Test results must be considered before devising a maintenance plan.Load testing is a vital method of assessing the quality and performance of highway bridges.The outcomes of these tests facilitate the formulation of maintenance plans.This article examines the definition of load testing,its significance,and the process of execution,with the goal of providing support for bridge inspection and maintenance.

Maintenance,Repair,and Reinforcement Measures for Dilapidated Small and Medium-Sized Bridges

The paper initiates by exploring the importance of maintaining,repairing,and reinforcing bridges.Subsequently,it delves into routine and preventative maintenance measures tailored for small to medium-sized bridges.Additionally,the paper examines repair and reinforcement techniques specifically designed for deteriorated small and medium-sized bridges,encompassing methods for fortifying both the bridge foundation and upper and lower structures.Lastly,the paper proposes suggestions aimed at fostering discussions and exchanges on the development of maintenance and repair processes for deteriorated small and medium-sized bridges.

Application Strategy of Digital Comprehensive Management and Maintenance System for Bridges

Effective application of digital integrated management and maintenance systems is essential for successful operation and maintenance management of bridge projects.This article analyzes the application strategy of such systems.It provides an overview of comprehensive digital management and maintenance of bridges,an analysis of the basic components of the integrated management and maintenance system,and its application strategies.This study aims to offer guidance for the application of the system and to improve the quality of modern bridge engineering management and maintenance work.

Learning-Based Dynamic Connectivity Maintenance for UAV-Assisted D2D Multicast Communication

Unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs) enable flexible networking functions in emergency scenarios.However,due to the movement characteristic of ground users(GUs),it is challenging to capture the interactions among GUs.Thus,we propose a learningbased dynamic connectivity maintenance architecture to reduce the delay for the UAV-assisted device-todevice(D2D) multicast communication.In this paper,each UAV transmits information to a selected GU,and then other GUs receive the information in a multi-hop manner.To minimize the total delay while ensuring that all GUs receive the information,we decouple it into three subproblems according to the time division on the topology:For the cluster-head selection,we adopt the Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA) to imitate the hunting behavior of whales by abstracting the UAVs and cluster-heads into whales and preys,respectively;For the D2D multi-hop link establishment,we make the best of social relationships between GUs,and propose a node mapping algorithm based on the balanced spanning tree(BST) with reconfiguration to minimize the number of hops;For the dynamic connectivity maintenance,Restricted Q-learning(RQL) is utilized to learn the optimal multicast timeslot.Finally,the simulation results show that our proposed algorithms perfor better than other benchmark algorithms in the dynamic scenario.

Multi-objective optimization in highway pavement maintenance and rehabilitation project selection and scheduling:A state-of-the-art review

The motivation for cost-effective management of highway pavements is evidenced not only by the massive expenditures associated with these activities at a national level but also by the consequences of poor pavement condition on road users.This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of multi-objective optimization(MOO)problems that have been formulated and solution techniques that have been used in selecting and scheduling highway pavement rehabilitation and maintenance activities.First,the paper presents a taxonomy and hierarchy for these activities,the role of funding sources,and levels of jurisdiction.The paper then describes how three different decision mechanisms have been used in past research and practice for project selection and scheduling(historical practices,expert opinion,and explicit mathematical optimization)and identifies the pros and cons of each mechanism.The paper then focuses on the optimization mechanism and presents the types of optimization problems,formulations,and objectives that have been used in the literature.Next,the paper examines various solution algorithms and discusses issues related to their implementation.Finally,the paper identifies some barriers to implementing multi-objective optimization in selecting and scheduling highway pavement rehabilitation and maintenance activities,and makes recommendations to overcome some of these barriers.

A Dynamic Maintenance Strategy for Multi-Component Systems Using a Genetic Algorithm

In multi-component systems,the components are dependent,rather than degenerating independently,leading to changes inmaintenance schedules.In this situation,this study proposes a grouping dynamicmaintenance strategy.Considering the structure of multi-component systems,the maintenance strategy is determined according to the importance of the components.The strategy can minimize the expected depreciation cost of the system and divide the system into optimal groups that meet economic requirements.First,multi-component models are grouped.Then,a failure probability model of multi-component systems is established.The maintenance parameters in each maintenance cycle are updated according to the failure probability of the components.Second,the component importance indicator is introduced into the grouping model,and the optimization model,which aimed at a maximum economic profit,is established.A genetic algorithm is used to solve the non-deterministic polynomial(NP)-complete problem in the optimization model,and the optimal grouping is obtained through the initial grouping determined by random allocation.An 11-component series and parallel system is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy,and the influence of the system structure and the parameters on the maintenance strategy is discussed.

Optimization of extended warranty cost for multi-component systems with economic dependence based on group maintenance

During extended warranty(EW)period,maintenance events play a key role in controlling the product systems within normal operations.However,the modelling of failure process and maintenance optimization is complicated owing to the complex features of the product system,namely,components of the multi-component system are interdependent with each other in some form.For the purpose of optimizing the EW pricing decision of the multi-component system scientifically and rationally,taking the series multi-component system with economic dependence sold with EW policy as a research object,this paper optimizes the imperfect preventive maintenance(PM)strategy from the standpoint of EW cost.Taking into consideration adjusting the PM moments of the components in the system,a group maintenance model is developed,in which the system is repaired preventively in accordance with a specified PM base interval.In order to compare with the system EW cost before group maintenance,the system EW cost model before group maintenance is developed.Numerical example demonstrates that offering group maintenance programs can reduce EW cost of the system to a great extent,thereby reducing the EW price,which proves to be a win-win strategy to manufacturers and users.

Development of Maintenance Management Strategy Based on Reliability Centered Maintenance for Marginal Oilfield Production Facilities

The present work adopted Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) methodology to evaluate marginal oilfield Early Production Facility (EPF) system to properly understand its functional failures and to develop an efficient maintenance strategy for the system. The outcome of the RCM conducted for a typical EPF within the Niger Delta zone of Nigeria provides an indication of equipment whose failure can significantly affect operations at the production facility. These include the steam generation unit and the wellhead choke assembly, using a risk-based failure Criticality Analysis. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) was conducted for the identified critical equipment on a component basis. Each component of the equipment was analyzed to identify the failure modes, causes and the effect of the failure. The outcome of the FMEA analysis aided the development of a robust maintenance management strategy, which is based on an optimized mix of corrective, preventive and condition-based monitoring maintenance for the marginal oilfield EPF.

Farmers’ Practices for the Orchard’s Maintenance and Post-Harvest Treatment of Cocoa in Infiltrated Classified and Unclassified Zone of Méagui (South-West, Côte d’Ivoire)

An important part of Ivorian cocoa production comes from infiltrated classified forests. The objective of this study is to investigate orchard maintenance and post-harvest cocoa treatment practices used by cocoa farmers in infiltrated classified and unclassified areas of Méagui. To do this, 110 producers in two localities of the said zone were individually interviewed from February to April 2022, using a declarative questionnaire. It was found that cocoa orchards in the zone are aging. Nearly 68.55% of producers were heirs and 58.33% of those interviewed were under 46 years of age, with an average age of 43 years. Nearly 84.55% of the producers surveyed mainly use chemical insecticides to control the pests of greatest concern in these localities. Regarding the frequency of insecticide treatments, 11.82% of producers make 1 to 2 applications a year, 29.09% make 3 to 5 applications a year, and 43.64% make at least 6 applications a year. The active substances of the most used products belong to 99% of the Neonicotinoid and Pyrethroid families. Regarding cocoa harvesting and post-harvest operations, 93.64% of the producers carry out a single harvest/month;all do the shelling with mini machetes. Beans are fermented mainly in black plastic tarpaulins or in bags, for a period of 3 to 5 days (65.45%). Drying is done almost entirely (91.82%) on the black plastic tarp. This study shows that cocoa farmers in the areas surveyed do not respect the recommendations issued on phytosanitary practices and post-harvest treatment of cocoa. This non-compliance with the standards of good practices prescribed is particularly more accentuated in the locality located in infiltrated classified zone. It would, therefore, be judicious to revise or redefine the phytosanitary recommendations and carry out sensitization and training-follow-up programs for producers in this important cocoa production area of C?te d’Ivoire.

The Efficacy and Role of Probiotics for Maintenance of Remission in Crohn’s Disease: A Meta-Analysis and Survey

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease whose pathogenesis involves disturbances of the gastrointestinal microbiota. As the prevalence of CD increases, the need for a more effective and safe treatment is integral. Probiotics have been reported to be beneficial for numerous gastrointestinal diseases, providing health benefits and considering the microbial characteristics of CD’s pathogenesis. However, our knowledge of the efficacy of probiotic therapy in preventing relapse in CD is limited. How gastroenterologists have incorporated probiotics into their practice or probiotics observed implications for patients with CD has not been assessed. A quantitative survey was distributed to determine how gastroenterologists perceive and use probiotic-based therapies in CD practice. The second objective was to conduct a meta-analysis of the efficacy of probiotics for maintaining remission and preventing clinical and endoscopic relapse in CD. Performing a meta-analysis and survey will examine the role of probiotics in CD treatment. Surveyed gastroenterologists cited that probiotics have an adjunctive role and have been observed to alleviate common CD symptoms. Probiotics seem effective in reducing the relapse rate, specifically those of the multi-strain variety are more likely to be effective in maintaining CD remission. Further research with larger trials is required to replicate and solidify this efficacy. The meta-analysis only assessed the efficacy of probiotics as a maintenance treatment as measured by the risk of relapse;thus, no evidence supports probiotics’ ability to induce remission. The results of the meta-analysis and survey indicate that probiotics cannot treat CD without accompanying conventional drug therapies;nevertheless, independent of treatment capacities, probiotics still yield health benefits for CD patients.