Auxiliary Forces Research Articles

Interactions of the Biphenylene Network with α-Helical and β-Sheet Proteins: Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

In recent years, nanomaterials have been widely used in the biomedical field. The biphenylene network is a highly promising planar carbon nanomaterial. To better explore its biomedical applications, we need to understand the biological effects of the biphenylene network. To investigate the biological effects of the novel nanomaterial biphenylene network, we used molecular dynamics simulations to study the interactions of the novel planar carbon nanomaterial biphenylene network with α-helical and β-sheet proteins. We found that both types of proteins adsorb flatly on the surface of the biphenylene network; the strong van der Waals interaction is the main adsorption force, while π-π stacking also provides an auxiliary force for the adsorption. When the HP35 protein whose secondary structure is an α-helix was adsorbed on biphenylene network, the entire structure of α-helix 2 was disrupted and α-helix 3 partly recovered its helical structure after being disrupted. In contrast to the β-sheet YAP65 protein, only part of the structure of β-sheet 1 was disrupted. Therefore, the biocompatibility of the biphenylene network with the β-sheet YAP65 protein is better than that of the α-helical HP35 protein, which may be due to the different surface curvature of the protein's secondary structure. Our research promotes the application of the biphenylene network in biomedicine and provides a theoretical basis and experimental direction for practical experiments.

Less fuel strategies for space debris removal in Low Earth Orbit

This paper proposes less fuel strategies for space debris removal. To mitigate the risk of space debris cost-efficiently, multi-rendezvous missions are under development. On the other hand, multi-rendezvous missions often require changing orbital planes of removal satellites, which requires a huge amount of ΔV. Therefore, this study focuses on exploiting the J2 perturbation force as an auxiliary force and aims to establish maneuver rules that minimize ΔV consumption while maximizing the benefit of the J2 perturbation. The J2 perturbation equation is explored analytically, which clarifies whether the change in the semi-major axis or the inclination dominates the efficiency of the exploitation. A straightforward criterion is extracted which determines the efficient maneuver based on the initial inclination of the satellite.

Life on the Margins

Abstract This article examines a group of Polish, Jewish, and Polish Jewish women who volunteered in the auxiliary forces of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. They traveled to Spain from various west European states, such as Belgium and France, and from Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Palestine. Although only a small percentage of these women traveled directly from Poland, in official documents they were categorized as Polish regardless of what country they traveled from. The article compiles the available fragments of historical knowledge on these women, addressing the various routes, reasons, and circumstances that led them to Spain. Their participation in the war was not an obvious outcome, but the discrimination and poverty they experienced in Poland made them more open to global leftist movements that encouraged their service in the International Brigades. These women represented the margins of many communities, as women, as representatives of the Jewish minority in Poland who had a complicated relationship with the Polish state, and as members or sympathizers of various left-leaning groups. Their lives were marked by multiple borders and often open hostilities that they encountered on their way to and from Spain. Their stories – as stories of people from the margins who left behind only fragmentary sources – remain largely forgotten and unclaimed by historiographies of the Spanish Civil War. This article aims to piece together fragments of the existing documents to begin telling their story.

Text-to-building: experiments with AI-generated 3D geometry for building design and structure generation

The paper seeks to investigate novel potentials for building design and structure generation that arise at the intersection of computational design and AI-generated 3D geometries. Although the use of AI technologies is exponentially increasing inside the architectural discipline, the design of spatial building configurations using AI-generated 3D geometries is still limited in its applications and represents an ongoing field of investigation in advanced architectural research. In this regard, several questions still need to be answered: how can we design new building typologies from AI-generated 3D geometries? And how can we use these typologies to shape both the real and the virtual world?The paper proposes a new approach to architectural design where artificial intelligence is used as the starting point for design exploration, while computational design procedures are employed to convert AI-generated 3D geometries into building elements – such as columns, beams, horizontal and vertical surfaces. The paper starts with a general overview of the current use of artificial intelligence inside the architectural discipline, and then it moves towards the explanation of specific AI generative models for 3D geometry reconstruction and representation. Subsequently, the proposed working pipeline is analysed in more detail – from the creation of 3D geometries using generative AI models to the conversion of such geometries into building elements that can be further designed and optimised using computational design tools and methods. The results shown in the paper are achieved using Shap-E as the main AI model, though the proposed pipeline can be implemented with multiple AI models. The paper ends by showing some of the generated results, finally adding some considerations to the relationship between human and artificial creativity inside the architectural discipline.The work presented in the paper suggests that the use of computational design tools and methods combined with the tectonics of the latent space opens new opportunities for topological and typological explorations. In a time where traditional architectural typologies are moving towards stagnation due to their inability to satisfy new human needs and ways of living, exploring AI-based working pipelines related to architectural design allows the definition of new design solutions for the generation of new architectural spaces. In doing so, the serendipitous aspect of AI biases is used as an auxiliary force to inform design decisions, promoting the discovery of a new inbuilt dynamism between human and artificial creativity. In a time where AI is everywhere, understanding the measure of such dynamism represents a key aspect for the future of the architectural discipline.

Patient's Healthy-Limb Motion Characteristic-Based Assist-As-Needed Control Strategy for Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Robots.

The implementation of a progressive rehabilitation training model to promote patients' motivation efforts can greatly restore damaged central nervous system function in patients. Patients' active engagement can be effectively stimulated by assist-as-needed (AAN) robot rehabilitation training. However, its application in robotic therapy has been hindered by a simple determination method of robot-assisted torque which focuses on the evaluation of only the affected limb's movement ability. Moreover, the expected effect of assistance depends on the designer and deviates from the patient's expectations, and its applicability to different patients is deficient. In this study, we propose a control method with personalized treatment features based on the idea of estimating and mapping the stiffness of the patient's healthy limb. This control method comprises an interactive control module in the task-oriented space based on the quantitative evaluation of motion needs and an inner-loop position control module for the pneumatic swing cylinder in the joint space. An upper-limb endpoint stiffness estimation model was constructed, and a parameter identification algorithm was designed. The upper limb endpoint stiffness which characterizes the patient's ability to complete training movements was obtained by collecting surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals and human-robot interaction forces during patient movement. Then, the motor needs of the affected limb when completing the same movement were quantified based on the performance of the healthy limb. A stiffness-mapping algorithm was designed to dynamically adjust the rehabilitation training trajectory and auxiliary force of the robot based on the actual movement ability of the affected limb, achieving AAN control. Experimental studies were conducted on a self-developed pneumatic upper limb rehabilitation robot, and the results showed that the proposed AAN control method could effectively estimate the patient's movement needs and achieve progressive rehabilitation training. This rehabilitation training robot that simulates the movement characteristics of the patient's healthy limb drives the affected limb, making the intensity of the rehabilitation training task more in line with the patient's pre-morbid limb-use habits and also beneficial for the consistency of bilateral limb movements.

A Wearable Upper Limb Exoskeleton System and Intelligent Control Strategy.

Heavy lifting operations frequently lead to upper limb muscle fatigue and injury. In order to reduce muscle fatigue, auxiliary force for upper limbs can be provided. This paper presents the development and evaluation of a wearable upper limb exoskeleton (ULE) robot system. A flexible cable transmits auxiliary torque and is connected to the upper limb by bypassing the shoulder. Based on the K-nearest neighbors (KNN) algorithm and integrated fuzzy PID control strategy, the ULE identifies the handling posture and provides accurate active auxiliary force automatically. Overall, it has the quality of being light and easy to wear. In unassisted mode, the wearer's upper limbs minimally affect the range of movement. The KNN algorithm uses multi-dimensional motion information collected by the sensor, and the test accuracy is 94.59%. Brachioradialis muscle (BM), triceps brachii (TB), and biceps brachii (BB) electromyogram (EMG) signals were evaluated by 5 kg, 10 kg, and 15 kg weight conditions for five subjects, respectively, during lifting, holding, and squatting. Compared with the ULE without assistance and with assistance, the average peak values of EMG signals of BM, TB, and BB were reduced by 19-30% during the whole handling process, which verified that the developed ULE could provide practical assistance under different load conditions.

“Jogo de espelhos”: comunidades morais entre “polícias”, “milícias” e “pi-lícias” cariocas

Abstract The present paper sheds light on a little-known social actor in Rio de Janeiro's criminal landscape. “Pi-licias” are civilians who impersonate policemen in everyday life, working illegally for legitimate police officers in different ways. They are found in private security markets, as “informants” in parallel police investigations, or even as “auxiliary forces” in police and/or paramilitary raids against drug trafficking gangs. Based on ethnographic fieldwork with candidates for the military police career, the study aims to demonstrate how the “moral communities” founded among military police officers, militias, and “pi-licias” pave the way for illegal “schemes” that emerge from private security markets in Rio de Janeiro.

Kebermanfaatan Tahanan Pendamping (Tamping) dalam Operasional Sistem Lembaga Pemasyarakatan

Correctional institutions have very few employees compared to the prisoners who become prisoners. Therefore, the operation of the penitentiary system involves personnel from tamping in order to carry out operations optimally. This study aims to explain the existence of tamping as an auxiliary force for the operation of correctional institutions. The research method was conducted with a descriptive method through a qualitative approach and using data collection techniques with in-depth interviews with 3 key informants and 3 informants. This research is located in an urban area of Bandung, precisely in prisons X and Y. The results state that the prison organization can operate optimally because it is assisted by assistants who are more numerous than prison officers.

DEFENDERS OF DIVERSITY?

Banser is the paramilitary wing of Ansor, the young men’s organization for Nahdlatul Ulama (Renaissance of the Scholars; NU). NU is the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, and because Indonesia is so large, the largest in the world. It has been long committed to Indonesia as a non-shariah state as well as multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation. Nahdlatul Ulama’s young men’s organization Ansor, seeks to train non-radical Muslim leaders with a range of expertise and foci. Ansor has a sub-organization called Banser which regularly guards Christian churches, liberal Muslims, and businesses from being targeted by extremists like the Islamic Defenders Front. If the present, or even recent, history of Banser and Ansor is that of protecting religious minorities and pluralism, this has not always been the case. Ansor/Banser was an important auxiliary force in the Revolution (1945-1949) and in the 1965-1966 national bloodletting that left 500,000 alleged communists dead. It is even more telling and interesting if we explore the ways in which the newer socially progressive actions are based on conservative, traditional understandings of Islam and not liberal or progressive religious understandings.

Stiffness modeling of a 2-DoF over-constrained planar parallel mechanism

Stiffness model acquisition of over-constrained parallel mechanisms is relatively difficult since they have more than necessary kinematic loops. In this study, a stiffness modeling solution for over-constrained parallel mechanisms is proposed while considering the computational cost efficiency. Three contributions of the paper are: (1) Presenting the stiffness modeling procedure for serially connected closed-loop structures by using the Virtual Joint Method (2) Considering the effect of dynamic auxiliary forces and dynamic external forces on the mobile platform’s deflection and achieving a direct solution by using superposition principle (3) A model fitting procedure for modifying the stiffness coefficients to comply with the experimental data. A 2 degrees-of-freedom over-constrained parallel mechanism is investigated as a case study. However, the proposed stiffness model is 6-DoF since compliant deflections occur in any direction. A finite element analysis and an experimental study verify the model’s results.

Jeremy A. Crang. Sisters in Arms: Women in the British Armed Forces during the Second World War.

Over half a million women joined the three British women’s auxiliary forces during the Second World War, including its most well-known member, an eighteen-year-old Princess Elizabeth. Jeremy A. Crang’s Sisters in Arms: Women in the British Armed Forces during the Second World War offers a well-researched and highly readable new history of these organizations that both contextualizes and challenges the tales of plucky young women selflessly “doing their bit” that filled the pages of the popular press. It follows a chronological and thematic structure, covering the development of the women’s services from the 1930s, and exploring key aspects of the servicewomen’s experiences, including their training, work, discipline, health, social lives and habits, and social status. Unlike some studies that end in 1945, a welcome and original aspect of this study is its focus on the postwar careers of servicewomen, and on the extent to which war service offered them new opportunities within or without the military. The final chapters offer a useful overview of political debates around and attitudes toward demobilization, including some fascinating case studies of the impact of war work on women’s postwar lives.

ADVANCED EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

This article theoretically studies the state of development of social entrepreneurship and its importance in the national economy. Furthermore, quantitative analyzes of the state of development of this sphere in the world, forms of state registration of social entrepreneurship in foreign countries, including Italy, France, Germany, and Great Britain, sources of income, and directions of activity are demonstrated. Having studied the tested and advanced practices of developed countries, we can be sure that even their social policy programs are unable to solve social issues such as improving the activities of the third sector and increasing social services and social responsibility in the field of entrepreneurship. In that case, social entrepreneurship emerges as an auxiliary force of the country’s social policy.

Willingness of medical students to volunteer during the Covid-19 pandemic: Assessment at a tertiary care hospital in India.

Background The involvement of medical students in strategies to control Covid-19 might be considered to cope with the shortage of healthcare workers. We assessed the knowledge about Covid-19, willingness to volunteer, potential areas of involvement and reasons for hesitation among medical students towards volunteering. Methods We did this cross-sectional study among undergraduate students at a tertiary care teaching hospital in New Delhi. We used a web-based questionnaire to elicit demographic information, knowledge of Covid-19, willingness to volunteer and reasons deterring them from working during the Covid-19 pandemic, and self-declared knowledge in six domains. Results A total of 292 students participated in the study with a mean (SD) age of 19.9 (3.1) years. The mean (SD) knowledge score of Covid-19 was 6.9 (1.1) (maximum score 10). Knowledge score was significantly different among preclinical (6.5), paraclinical (7.18) and clinical groups (7.03). Almost three-fourth (75.3%) participants were willing to volunteer in the Covid-19 pandemic, though 67.8% had not received any training in emergency medicine or public health crisis management. Willingness to work was maximum in areas of social work and indirect patient care (62.3% each). Lack of personal protective equipment was cited as a highly deterring factor for volunteering (62.7%) followed by fear of transmitting the infection to family members (45.9%), fear of causing harm to the patient (34.2%) and the absence of available treatment (22.2%). Conclusions A majority of the students were willing to volunteer even though they had not received adequate training. Students may serve as an auxiliary force during the pandemic, especially in non-clinical settings.

Один в поле не воин: ведущие ЧВК Турции

The article examines key private military companies affiliated with the Republic of Turkey. In a new type of security architecture that is being formed non-state actors play a growing role. These actors include private military companies (PMCs) and structures close to PMCs in the form of their activities. In Turkey, there is neither legislation in the field of PMCs, nor generally accepted classification of such organizations, which, however, have a significant impact on the country’s foreign and security policies. The main approaches of Turkish analysts to the study and classification of PMCs are largely similar to those adopted in the West and are confined to dividing them into military service providers, military consulting and military assistance companies. Of several PMC-type structures formed by the former Turkish military, the most famous ones are SADAT and rapidly developing Akademi Sancak. These companies do not position themselves as combat actors despite the existing evidence of the participation of some of their employees (especially in the case of SADAT) in armed conflicts in Libya, Syria, and other regions. At the same time, in Turkish socio-political discourse, SADAT is often referred to as the government’s “shadow army” due to its alleged ties with Turkey’s ruling elites. The authors conclude that for Turkey, private military companies form a relatively new phenomenon. However, many Turkish experts as well as the leaders of the PMCs underscore the need to develop this area of military activity, as PMCs could potentially implement a number of important foreign policy tasks and serve as an auxiliary force for the state and the Turkish Armed Forces.

Two inverse non-stationary problems of axially symmetric deformation of a finite-length elastic cylindrical shell

Among the many problems of the solid mechanics, there is a whole class of problems that are related to inverse problems. In turn, among the inverse problems, many problems are ill-posed. Obtaining an exact analytical solution of such problems is related to certain mathematical difficulties and requires using special methods. Goal. The goal of the study is to obtain analytical solutions for inverse problems of the identification of non-stationary load and the control of non-stationary vibrations of a cylindrical shell with asymmetric boundary conditions. Methodology. In this investigation, a refined theory of medium-thickness shells was used. Fourier series expansion, the theory of integral equations and the Laplace transform were used to obtain the solution of the direct problem. Tikhonov’s regularization method was used to solve inverse problems. Results. As a result of the investigation, the solutions of two inverse problems of the solid mechanics were obtained. The first task is to identify a fixed and moving concentrated axisymmetric non-stationary force acting on a cylindrical shell, based on the displacement values at any point of the shell; identification of two fixed concentrated forces. The second task is to control vibrations at any point of the cylindrical shell by introducing an auxiliary concentrated force. Numerical results obtained demonstrate the fulfillment of the control criterion as a result of the action of the given and auxiliary force. Originality. Analytical solutions of the inverse problems of the solid mechanics for a cylindrical shell of medium thickness with asymmetric boundary support conditions are obtained. Practical value. The technique received allows effective identification of an unknown non-stationary load. It’s important for the rational design of reliable cylindrical shell structures. Its use also makes possible to create a theoretical basis to control the deflected mode parameters of cylindrical shell structural elements

Electrostatic separation of pea proteins assisted by COMSOL simulation

To address the dilemma of inefficient plant protein electrostatic separation, some optimization strategies were proposed by combining experimental analysis with COMSOL Multiphysics simulation. Micronized pea powder was obtained by airflow impact mill. The design of a near-cylindrical buffer zone (diameter 6.2 cm, height 10 cm) above the separation chamber can convert the turbulent flow from the tribo-charging system into laminar, slow down the airflow velocity and weaken propulsion on the particles. Moderate particle charge (464.8 ± 24.9 nC/g) and high electric field strength (2.0 kV/cm) can ensure the required electric field force for separation while reducing inter-particle aggregation. The formation of a steady magnetic field by two neodymium magnets, placed perpendicular to the electric field, was a potentially valuable auxiliary force in the separation of charged particles, but strictly limited by the magnetic field strength. With those improvements, pea protein concentrate purity was increased from 27.8 ± 0.5% (db) to 62.6 ± 0.6% (db) after one-step electrostatic separation. Combined with the visualization of simulation, this study provided a new insight into improving the electrostatic separation efficiency of micronized powder. • Pre-slowing airflow velocity through buffer zone improves separation efficiency. • Particle aggregation due to high charge negatively impacts separation. • Moderate particle charging and high separation voltage is the optimal strategy. • High intensity magnetic field can separate different charged particles exclusively. • Numerical simulation of separation field, airflow and charged particle trajectory.

“Taken to German Villages and Liquidated.” The “Selbstschutz” Organization and the Bogdanovka Massacre in 1941

Abstract The killing of up to 40,000–50,000 Jews in Bogdanovka in the winter of 1941–1942 represented one of the largest murder operations carried out during the Holocaust outside of Auschwitz, Sobibor and Treblinka extermination camps. The massacre was the result of a cooperation between the German "Sonderkommando Russland" with the support of the "volksdeutscher Selbstschutz" as well as the Romanian gendarmes and their Ukrainian auxiliary forces. This article examines this massacre in three different aspects. The first part reconstructs how Transnistria was administered on a bilateral level between Nazi Germany and fascist Romania, and became a place of mass extermination. The second part of the article deals with the reconstruction of the massacre in a micro-historical perspective by using chiefly eyewitness interviews of local residents. The last part of this work, which is based on an organizational sociological approach, examines the mobilization and willingness to kill of those ethnic Germans who were recruited by the Sonderkommando Russland.

Assistance to Ukrainian SSR Police Officers in the Fight against Crime and Protection of Public Order in the 20s of the 20th Century

The paper deals with the issues of assistance of the population to the police in the fight against criminal crime and the protection of public order in the USSR in the 20s. of the 20th century. The author examines some features of the involvement of auxiliary forces by the Soviet Ukraine police, including committees of non-eligible villagers, village performers, janitors, workers’ squads. The role of each type of auxiliary forces in the protection of public order and the fight against criminal crime is revealed.The author points out that the committees of the unfit villagers, contributing to the realization of the goals of combating banditry, actively opposed the kulaks. The role of the institute of rural performers who contributed to solving the tasks of the police by protecting public order, supervising the execution of decisions of local councils, performing security and convoy functions is considered. It is noted that the tasks of street cleaners in each city household included supervision of order and public safety within the boundaries of the territory of households. The paper also reveals the specifics of assisting the police by workers’ teams (druzhinas) who opposed thefts and hooliganism on the streets of large cities, actively conducted propaganda activities among workers.The paper focuses on the widespread use of explanatory work and campaigning through speeches to workers’ organizations and village gatherings, posting publications in the media in order to attract the population to the tasks of the police.The author concludes that due to the close connection with the working class and the peasantry, the tasks set to combat crime and protect public order by the Soviet police were successfully carried out, specifying what prospects in the work of the modern police will reveal the appeal to similar experience of the Soviet state.

Electromyogram-based motion compensation control for the upper limb rehabilitation robot in active training

Abstract. Active participation in training is very important for improving the rehabilitation effect for patients with upper limb dysfunction. However, traditional upper limb rehabilitation robots cannot drive the patients' arms by following their varying motion intents during active training. This control strategy can weaken the patients' active participation. This paper proposes a novel center-driven upper limb rehabilitation robot and an electromyogram (EMG)-based motion compensation control method for the upper limb rehabilitation robot in active training in order to improve the patients' active participation. In addition, the trajectory planning equations for the proposed robot manipulator are analyzed and built in order to provide the reference trajectory in active training. In the end, two experiments are carried out to verify the proposed control method. The EMG compensation experiments show that the maximum error between the theoretical and experimental motor rotating speeds is no more than 1.3 %. The active training control experiment results show that the proposed robot can implement the reference trajectory in real time. The control method can implement the positive relationship between the rotating speed and the intensity of EMG emerging during upper limb training. It shows that the proposed rehabilitation robot can provide auxiliary force according to the patients' motion intents. The proposed rehabilitation robot can guide the patients in implementing the reference task in active training.

Ergonomics Design and Assistance Strategy of A-Suit.

Concerning the biomechanics and energy consumption of the lower limbs, a soft exoskeleton for the powered plantar flexion of the ankle, named A-Suit, was developed to improve walking endurance in the lower limbs and reduce metabolic consumption. The method of ergonomics design was used based on the biological structures of the lower limbs. A profile of auxiliary forces was constructed according to the biological force of the Achilles tendon, and an iterative learning control was applied to shadow this auxiliary profile by iteratively modifying the traction displacements of drive units. During the evaluation of the performance experiments, four subjects wore the A-Suit and walked on a treadmill at different speeds and over different inclines. Average heart rate was taken as the evaluation index of metabolic consumption. When subjects walked at a moderate speed of 1.25 m/s, the average heart rate Hav under the Power-ON condition was 7.25 ± 1.32% (mean ± SEM) and 14.40 ± 2.63% less than the condition of No-suit and Power-OFF. Meanwhile, the additional mass of A-Suit led to a maximum Hav increase of 7.83 ± 1.44%. The overall reduction in Hav with Power-ON over the different inclines was 6.93 ± 1.84% and 13.4 ± 1.93% compared with that of the No-Suit and Power-OFF condition. This analysis offers interesting insights into the viability of using this technology for human augmentation and assistance for medical and other purposes.