Difficult Missions Research Articles

A case for the moral duty of specific human germline genetic engineering

Abstract Germline gene editing (GGE) is a controversial procedure, prohibited by most intergovernmental and scientific bodies and is not currently medically utilized. However, given circumstances where GGE would be essential for human survival, it is possible that GGE could be ideal, ethical and even necessary. One such possible instance of this circumstance could be long-term presence of humans on other planets. In our paper, we point out that there is a strong case for genetically modifying humans, including through GGE, for a future settlement in space directed at preserving human (and other) species. To avoid unnecessarily suffering and death from such difficult missions and environments, GGE enhancements should be considered, although only if shown to be safe, well-regulated and efficacious. We also examine and detail how major ethical frameworks can be shown to support, rather than prohibit, such procedures.

Real-time path planning of controllable UAV by subgoals using goal-conditioned reinforcement learning

The conventional path planning problem for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) typically involves a pre-defined environment and mission, with the objective of reaching a single target point. However, in order to perform different missions, the agent must be trained from scratch. In this paper, we propose a new path planning algorithm for UAVs by training them to be controlled by subgoals, which enhances their degree of freedom to perform various maneuvers. The subgoals can be defined by the user and given to the agent in real-time, allowing the UAV to perform diverse flight missions without prior knowledge of the environment. To achieve this, we utilize goal-conditioned reinforcement learning to train the UAV agent to reach various goals by learning different flight maneuvers. In experiments, we designed specific scenarios to test the UAV agent’s ability to perform concrete missions, such as high-flying, low-flying, penetrating, and bypassing. The experimental results show that the same UAV agent trained in a simple environment can accomplish difficult missions in various scenarios. The pre-trained UAV agent can be utilized in other environments as it can be controlled by the subgoals.

A Controllable Agent by Subgoals in Path Planning Using Goal-Conditioned Reinforcement Learning

The aim of path planning is to search for a path from the starting point to the goal. Numerous studies, however, have dealt with a single predefined goal. That is, an agent who has completed learning cannot reach other goals that have not been visited in the training. In the present study, we propose a novel reinforcement learning (RL) framework for an agent reachable to any subgoal as well as the final goal in path planning. To do this, we utilize goal-conditioned RL and propose bidirectional memory editing to obtain various bidirectional trajectories of the agent. Bidirectional memory editing can generate various behavior and subgoals of the agent from the limited trajectory. Then, the generated subgoals and behaviors of the agent are trained on the policy network so that the agent can reach any subgoals from any starting point. In addition, we present reward shaping for the short path of the agent to reach the goal. In the experimental result, the agent was able to reach the various goals that had never been visited by the agent during the training. We confirmed that the agent could perform difficult missions, such as a round trip, and the agent used the shorter route with reward shaping.

Un mal pour un mal : une éthique des conséquences de l’acte guerrier

Julien is a soldier. He opened fire in a warlike, heroic act. However, this act has become unbearable because of his peers’ gaze and the traumatic repetition syndrome he has suffered from ever since. This clinical vignette illustrates in its most dramatic form the soldier's deadly commitment, namely in his relationship to death, both the one he is likely to administer and the one he is prepared to receive. Thus, the soldier finds himself “at the heart of the dialectic of life and death”: the life of the civilian population to be protected whatever the cost, the death of the enemy, which he must inflict, or even his own death, which he is ready to receive in this same commitment that he has made. This leads to a cult of bravery, the “heroisation” of the individual who transgresses an unconditional law of human existence, that of not killing one's neighbor. To survive, the soldier conforms body and soul to the very meaning of the military code of ethics, which is defined by a rigorous discipline, a flawless process of toughening up designed for the acquisition of both an unwavering body and psyche… And yet the fall of the hero is not without fracas. The traumatic question, of which many soldiers are victims on their return from difficult missions, directs the subject's return to this essential question of death, the one felt in his own body, or in the reflection of that which he inflicts on his aggressor. Then, the reality of the shot received or the shot dispensed leaves the individual with an unbearable, unspeakable pain, immobilizing him in an experience of dehumanization that he had not anticipated. Also, the concretization of warlike conduct, although “trivialized’ in its usual manifestations, comes as a surprise to the soldier in the carrying out of the act for which he has prepared with so much effort, thereby questioning its validity as well as its moral scope.

Multimodal collective swimming of magnetically articulated modular nanocomposite robots

Magnetically responsive composites can impart maneuverability to miniaturized robots. However, collective actuation of these composite robots has rarely been achieved, although conducting cooperative tasks is a promising strategy for accomplishing difficult missions with a single robot. Here, we report multimodal collective swimming of ternary-nanocomposite-based magnetic robots capable of on-demand switching between rectilinear translational swimming and rotational swimming. The nanocomposite robots comprise a stiff yet lightweight carbon nanotube yarn (CNTY) framework surrounded by a magnetic polymer composite, which mimics the hierarchical architecture of musculoskeletal systems, yielding magnetically articulated multiple robots with an agile above-water swimmability (~180 body lengths per second) and modularity. The multiple robots with multimodal swimming facilitate the generation and regulation of vortices, enabling novel vortex-induced transportation of thousands of floating microparticles and heavy semi-submerged cargos. The controllable collective actuation of these biomimetic nanocomposite robots can lead to versatile robotic functions, including microplastic removal, microfluidic vortex control, and transportation of pharmaceuticals.

The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Improve Resilience of Frog Troop Command School Students in Kodiklatal

The Indonesian Navy's Frog Troop Command Soldiers are special personnel designed to deal with difficult situations and special naval warfare missions. The dynamics of forming as a candidate for Kopaska personnel and the pressure of education at the Frog Troop Command School were so heavy that some students were unable to adapt well, stressed and lacked confidence, so they were unable to continue their education. Resilience is the ability of each individual to cope and adapt to problems that occur in life. Resilience is needed by students to be able to survive while carrying out education at the Frog Troop Command School. Several studies have found that resilience can be increased by using a Cognitive Behavior Therapy approach. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the CBT intervention on increasing resilience in the Frog Troop Command School students. The use of the CBT method is expected to be able to increase the resilience of students when under pressure during education at the Frog Troop Command School. Therefore, in order to increase the readiness of students to face the heavy educational pressures and stress that arises during their education at the Frog Troop Command School, it is necessary to know how the use of this CBT method and its effect on them. This therapy session intends to explore the use of the CBT method to control oneself in order to be able to face the pressures of education at the Frog Troop Command School

Optimizing the Flight Route of UAV Using Biology Migration Algorithm

Optimizing the flight trajectory unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is always a popular optimization problem in computation intelligence field, which aims to search optimal flight path for avoiding detection and complementing some highly difficult missions in complex military environments. This paper mainly utilizes a recent proposed biology migration algorithm (BMA) inspired by the species migration mechanism for dealing with the UAV trajectory optimization problem. The main goal of the UAV model is to search feasible parameters including the flight angle, coordinates and distance for minimizing the flight price computed based on the threat and fuel costs. As one of swarm intelligence techniques, BMA has the characteristics of self-organization, fast convergence and self-adaption in the optimization process, So, it is able to find a safe flight route between the start point and target point while avoiding the dangerous regions and minimum cost. Simulation experiments show that BMA can generate promising and better results with respective to other compared algorithms.

Coping and growing in dilemma: Clinical work experience of front-line nurses in Wuhan during the early stage of COVID-19 epidemic.

AimTo deeply explore the experience of front‐line nurses who participated in rescuing Wuhan during the early stage of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) epidemic.MethodsUsing a descriptive qualitative design, individual semi‐structured interviews were conducted between February 25 and March 5, 2020. A conventional content analysis method was used in data analysis to extract themes and sub‐themes.ResultsSix themes emerged after data analysis: (a) worries and stress during rescue; (b) difficulties encountered during rescue; (c) experience of team work; (d) experience of interaction with COVID‐19 patients; (e) experience of logistic support and widespread concern; and (f) value and significance of the experience.ConclusionsNurses took on difficult missions in the rescue and played an irreplaceable role. They experienced remarkable psychological changes over the intensive work. It was necessary to understand the feelings and problems of the nurses so as to establish a healthcare system that can protect medical staff effectively in future disasters.

A TD3-based multi-agent deep reinforcement learning method in mixed cooperation-competition environment

We explored the problem about function approximation error and complex mission adaptability in multi-agent deep reinforcement learning. This paper proposes a new multi-agent deep reinforcement learning algorithm framework named multi-agent time delayed deep deterministic policy gradient. Our work reduces the overestimation error of neural network approximation and variance of estimation result using dual-centered critic, group target network smoothing and delayed policy updating. According to experiment results, it improves the ability to adapt complex missions eventually. Then, we discuss that there is an inevitable overestimation issue about existing multi-agent algorithms about approximating real action-value equations with neural network. We also explain the approximate error of equations in the multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm mathematically and experimentally. Finally, the application of our algorithm in the mixed cooperative competition experimental environment further demonstrates the effectiveness and generalization of our algorithm, especially improving the group’s ability of adapting complex missions and completing more difficult missions.

Research on a Low-Cost, Open-Source, and Remote Monitoring Data Collector to Predict Livestock’s Habits Based on Location and Auditory Information: A Case Study from Vietnam

The supervision and feeding of grazing livestock are always difficult missions. Since animals act based on habits, the real-time monitoring data logger has become an indispensable instrument to assist farmers in recognizing the status of livestock. Position-tracked and acoustic monitoring have become commonplace as two of the best methods to characterize feeding performance in ruminants. Previously, the existing methods were limited to desktop computers and lacked a sound-collecting function. These restrictions impacted the late interventions from feeders and required a large-sized data memory. In this work, an open-source framework for a data collector that autonomously captures the health information of farm animals is introduced. In this portable hardware, a Wireless Location Acoustic Sensing System (WiLASS) is integrated to infer the health status through the activities and abnormal phenomena of farming livestock via chew–bite sound identification. WiLASS involves the open modules of ESP32-WROOM, GPS NEO-6M, ADXL335 accelerometer, GY-MAX4466 amplifier, temperature sensors, and other signal processing circuits. By means of wireless communication, the ESP32-WROOM Thing micro-processor offers high speed transmission, standard protocol, and low power consumption. Data are transferred in a real-time manner from the attached sensing modules to a digital server for further analysis. The module of GPS NEO-6M Thing brings about fast tracking, high precision, and a strong signal, which is suitable for highland applications. Some computations are incorporated into the accelerometer to estimate directional movement and vibration. The GY-MAX4466 Thing plays the role of microphone, which is used to store environmental sound. To ensure the quality of auditory data, they are recorded at a minimum sampling frequency of 10 KHz and at a 12-bit resolution. Moreover, a mobile software in pocket devices is implemented to provide extended mobility and social convenience. Converging with a cloud-based server, the multi-Thing portable platform can provide access to simultaneously supervise. Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol with low bandwidth, high reliability, and bi-direction, and which is appropriate for most operating systemsOS, is embedded into the system to prevent data loss. From the experimental results, the feasibility, effectiveness, and correctness of our approach are verified. Under the changes of climate, the proposed framework not only supports the improvement of farming techniques, but also provides a high-quality alternative for poor rural areas because of its low cost and its ability to carry out a proper policy for each species.

Ada Patterson

In 1896, Ada Patterson made headlines as the St. Louis Republics version of “Nellie Bly.” From climbing the St. Louis City Tower to riding with the St. Louis fire chief for a story, Patterson took on any challenge. Patterson later would be known as one of the four “sob sisters,” but before she was covering murder trials, she was taking on stunts. Patterson was one of many “stuntgirls” who used the Bly formula as an opportunity to transition from the society pages to the front pages. The stunt girls went to dangerous places, posed as various figures, and took on difficult missions to get their bylines in the newpapers. The stunts were often advertised throughout the week and featured in Sunday editions. This article explores Patterson's life and how her “stunts” helped the progress of her career.

The Chosen Aspects of Self-Reconfigurable Robots

In this paper we have shown and discuss the problematic of self-reconfigurable robots. Self-reconfigurable robots are modular robots that can dynamically and intelligently reconfigure their shape and size to accomplish difficult missions. This paper gives an chosen aspects of self-reconfigurable robotics with regards to individual aspects (technical, control, morphology) and basic consideration to the description of some individuality at this area.

Fatigue in Air Medical Clinicians Undertaking High-acuity Patient Transports

Background. Fatigue is likely to be a significant issue for air medical transport clinicians due to the challenging nature of their work, but there is little published evidence for this. Objective. To prospectively assess the levels and patterns of fatigue in air medical transport teams and determine whether specific mission factors influenced clinician fatigue. Methods. Physicians and flight nurses from two intensive care interhospital transport teams routinely completed fatigue report forms before and after patient transport missions over a 4-month period. Data collected included subjective ratings of fatigue (Samn-Perelli and visual analog scale), mission difficulty and performance. Multivariate hierarchical logistic and linear models were used to evaluate the influence of various mission characteristics on post-mission fatigue. Results. Clinicians returned 403 fully complete fatigue report forms at an estimated overall return rate of 73%. Fatigue increased significantly over the course of missions, and on 1 of every 12 fatigue reports returned clinicians reported severe post-mission fatigue (that is, levels of 6 or 7 on the Samn-Perelli scale). Factors that impacted significantly on clinician fatigue were the pre-mission fatigue level of the clinician, night work, mission duration, and mission difficulty. Poorer self-rated performance was significantly associated with higher levels of fatigue (r = −0.4, 95% CI −0.5 to −0.3), and for the 6-month period leading up to the study clinicians reported a total of 22 occasions on which they should have declined a mission due to fatigue. Conclusions. These results suggest that clinicians undertaking interhospital transports of even moderate duration experience high levels of fatigue on a relatively frequent basis. In the unique and challenging environment of air medical transport, prior fatigue, long or difficult missions, and the disadvantageous effect of night work on normal circadian rhythms are a combination where there are minimal safety margins for clinicians’ performance capacity. Fatigue prevention or fatigue resistance measures could positively affect air medical clinicians in this context.

Synthetic and Systems Biology: Toward Achieving Impossible Missions and Deciphering Human Complex Disease Genetics

Many pioneering works have inspired researchers to stay up-todate on synthetic and system biology. Several cases that were originally thought to be exceptionally difficult, if not impossible, have been carried out successfully, such as Craig Venter’s creation of the world’s first synthetic life form. At a system level, nucleic reprogramming succeeded in frog half a century ago (reviewed in [1]); but doubts about whether or not this was impossible lingered until 40 years later, when a cocktail of four transcriptional factors systematically reprogrammed the somatic cells to stem cells [1-3]. Other cases include that telomerase reactivation may lead to the reversal of tissue degeneration in aged telomerase-deficient mice [4] and muscle-derived stem/progenitor cell dysfunction acts as a healthspan and lifespan limiting factor for murine progeria reversal [5] Here, we focus on the latest impossible or exceptionally difficult missions, plus those of the future, i.e. decoding the complex diseases genetics and their possible modified nutritional, tour and other benign environmental treatments, which most of us could easily have and best exercise. Some complex diseases currently considered “difficult – to be addressed” are largely diseases of aging. For instance, starting for relatively simple neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease (PD) , today, no drugs exist to address the underlying pathology; for autoimmune diseases (ADs), no one is even sure what causes such outcomes; and for cancer, though billions of dollars have been invested and millions of articles published, there is still a long way to go to deal with them both theoretically and therapeutically to satisfy researchers and sufficiently match the expectations of patients. Successful creation of disease models and screening of targets are expected to be identified for such diseases and thus help slow or even prevent disease progression.

Stanley McChrystal, Special Forces and the Wars of 9/11

Elite forces raised for especially difficult missions are as old as armies themselves. The British in the Second World War created an eclectic menagerie of units to operate behind enemy lines, incl...

APPLICABILITY ANALYSIS OF ULTRA-LIGHT UAV FOR FLOODING SITE SURVEY IN SOUTH KOREA

Abstract. Recently, UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is used in a variety of fields such as the military service, fire prevention, traffic supervision, mapping, and etc. The increased demand for UAVs is typically attributed to the low manufacturing and operational costs, flexibility of the platforms to accommodate the consumer’s particular needs and the elimination of the risk to pilots’ lives in difficult missions. But, in South Korea, UAV might be first introduced to military service, and is still in its infancy, just being available for construction site monitoring, landscape photographing, spraying agricultural chemicals, broadcasting fields. This study presents the background and the aim of flood mapping, and presents the possibility analysis of how to use UAV effectively for flooding area. And author tries to overlap UAV image with the flooding area trace surveyed by ground surveys. As a result, it is expected that UAV photogrammetry will contributes to investigating the flooded area by providing images, which is describing the flooded area in near real-time and also making a decision like paying compensation.

Farewell to Overt Ideological Intervention

At times, the leaders of nations send numerous troops abroad so that governments can be created or preserved. Some of these operations are completed without much trouble, but it is important to emphasise how many turn out to be quite arduous. Most officials elect to abandon these difficult missions. This tendency was actually on display in the 1980s. At the beginning of this decade, the leaders of Iran elected to invade Iraq. As this operation commenced, Iranian officials were quite confident that another Islamic theocracy could be established inside this Middle Eastern nation. However, once multiple setbacks were experienced, this confidence began to dissipate and the initiative was brought to an end. Since the conclusion of the 1980s, only a small number of nations have made the same transition as Iran. In this article, it will be argued that the US recently became a member of this select group.

Companions in Preaching and Suffering: Itinerant Female Quakers in the Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century British Atlantic World

This article explores the 'sufferings' of itinerant Quaker women in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Quakers who were Public Friends — who traveled and preached as a testimony of faith — were a formative and highly visible part of the early Colonial British American landscape. Itinerant Quaker women faced the perils and discomforts of frequent transatlantic travel, and they were ostracized as well as physically abused on their journeys. But believing that the most genuine followers of Christ suffered in his name, Quakers felt that writing about and experiencing bodily torments and spiritual tribulations identified them as true religious adherents. Many itinerant women wrote about their journeys in printed testimonials, and these writings were celebrated by Quakers and circulated widely throughout Britain and its early colonies. For women Friends, the practices of writing and of suffering also became a testimony of their gender; traveling Quaker women refigured seventeenth- and eighteenth-century constructions of the female body, femininity, and female sociability. Relying upon female companions who accompanied them on their journeys, itinerant Quakers sought solidarity with and solace from other women during their travels, and they expected female companions to sustain and succor them during difficult missions. This spiritual society both heightened and reinforced the spiritual, bodily and emotional experiences of early Quaker women.

Calibration of a Five-Hole Multi-Function Probe for Helicopter Air Data Sensors

In the flight of air vehicles, accurate air data information is required to control them effectively. Especially, helicopters are often put in drastic motion involved with high angle of attacks in order to perform difficult missions. Among various sensors, the multi function probe (MFP) has been used in the present study mainly owing to its advantages in structural simplicity and capability of providing various information such as static and total pressure, speed, and pitch and yaw angles. In this study, a five-hole multi-function probe (FHMFP) is developed and its calibration is conducted using multiple regressions. In this work a calibration study on the FHMFP, an air data sensor for helicopters, is reported. It is shown that the pitch and yaw angles’ accuracy of calibration is ± 0.91° at a cone angle of 0° ~ 30° and ± 2.0° at 30°~ 43°, respectively, which is summarized in table 3.

The Case for Strategic Traditionalism: War, National Interest and Liberal Peacebuilding

Liberal peacemaking and peacebuilding are an inherently dangerous enterprise, which should be approached with great caution. This was demonstrated by numerous problematic liberal peacebuilding efforts in the 1990s and 2000s, events that underlined the view that there has been no fundamental global change in attitudes toward the use of violence for the attainment of political ends. As a result, Western leaders are likely to be much less inclined to undertake large-scale and/or difficult peacebuilding missions in the future. This is a desirable trend, as peacebuilding efforts undertaken by democracies should be guided fundamentally by national interests rather than humanitarian goals.