The Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)on the SMILE Mission

The Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)is part of the scientific payload of the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)mission.SMILE is a joint science mission between the European Space Agency(ESA)and the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)and is due for launch in 2025.SXI is a compact X-ray telescope with a wide field-of-view(FOV)capable of encompassing large portions of Earth’s magnetosphere from the vantage point of the SMILE orbit.SXI is sensitive to the soft X-rays produced by the Solar Wind Charge eXchange(SWCX)process produced when heavy ions of solar wind origin interact with neutral particles in Earth’s exosphere.SWCX provides a mechanism for boundary detection within the magnetosphere,such as the position of Earth’s magnetopause,because the solar wind heavy ions have a very low density in regions of closed magnetic field lines.The sensitivity of the SXI is such that it can potentially track movements of the magnetopause on timescales of a few minutes and the orbit of SMILE will enable such movements to be tracked for segments lasting many hours.SXI is led by the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom(UK)with collaborating organisations on hardware,software and science support within the UK,Europe,China and the United States.

Effects of oral Shilajit tablets on sexual function and sexual quality of life among reproductive-aged women: a triple-blind randomized clinical trial

Background:Shilajit is mentioned in the“Kama Sutra”as a potent enhancer of sexual desire.This study aimed to investigate the effects of oral Shilajit tablets on sexual function and sexual quality of life among women of reproductive age.Methods:Forty-eight reproductive-aged women participated in a placebo-controlled triple-blind clinical trial.The intervention group took oral Shilajit tablets(200 mg)twice daily for 60 days and the control group took the placebo.Data collection tools were Sexual Quality of Life-Female and Female Sexual Function Index.Data were collected before the intervention,30,60,and 90 days after the start of the study.Results:Forty-three women completed the study.The mean score of total sexual function in the intervention group was significantly higher than before the intervention(P<0.001).The mean score of sexual function was 28.93 after 90 days in the intervention group while it was 22.09 in the control group.This finding was observed in most domains of the sexual function index.The mean score of sexual quality of life increased after 60 days of intervention in both groups;however,the difference was not statistically significant(P=0.094).Conclusion:The study indicated that Shilajit,as a complementary therapy,may improve sexual function and most of its domains;while there was no effect on improving the quality of sexual life.

Risk of overweight and obesity among migrants in Switzerland

We assessed the risk of overweight and obesity for six large migrant groups in Switzerland. We used population-based survey data form the Swiss Migrant Health Survey 2010 and the Swiss Health Survey 2007. The sample comprised permanent residents aged 17 - 64 years (n = 14,637). Multivariate logistic regressions have been used to estimate odds ratios (OR). Compared with Swiss nationals, the odds of being obese were 1.97 times higher for Turkish nationals (CI-95 1.26, 3.07), 1.73 times higher for Kosovan nationals (CI-95 1.09, 2.74) and 3.42 times higher for Serbs (CI-95 2.28, 5.12). The chance of being obese was not statistically different between Swiss nationals and those from Portugal, Italy, and Germany. The chance of being overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 25) was higher for migrants than for Swiss nationals. The respective odds were 1.54 times higher for nationals from Portugal (CI-95 1.13, 2.11), 2.05 times higher for those from Turkey (CI-95 1.50, 2.78), 2.67 times higher for those from Serbia (CI-95 1.93, 3.68), 2.68 times higher for those from Kosovo (CI-95 2.01, 3.56), and 2.16 times higher for nationals from Italy (CI-95 1.54, 3.02). We suggest that preventive initiatives should take into account the specific needs of migrants as well as the needs of persons with low education from all nationalities.

Sensory Evaluation of Extra Virgin Olive Oil （EVOO） Extended to Include the Quality Factor ＂Harmony＂

Sensory evaluation of olive oil, meaning the official organoleptic assessment of olive oil respectively the ＂Panel Test＂ （PT）, is based on the standards of the International Olive Council （IOC）, as well as on the Regulation （EC） 640/2008 of the European Commission. These regulations lead to the classification of olive oil as ＂extra virgin＂ （EVOO）, ＂virgin＂ （VOO） or ＂lampant＂, which however is not sufficient to clearly discriminate between different quality levels within the grade EVOO. The objective of the study at hand was to develop and validate an objective sensory evaluation method for the quality certification of olive oil within the grade EVOO. A new rating system, including a detailed description and evaluation of the complexity and persistence of flavour, was established. First, a comparison between different profile sheets from various olive oil competitions （Ercole Olivario, Premio Biol, Leone D＇Oro Mario Solinas Award, among others） and the official profile sheet from the IOC/EC for the panel test （PT） took place. In consecutive steps the basic test procedure from the panel test （PT） then was extended with additional sensory descriptors. Two trained olive oil panels （the German Olive Oil Panel （DOP） and the Swiss Olive Oil Panel （SOP）） were further educated to profile various green and ripe aroma components and to evaluate the complexity of the perceived aroma components and their persistency （descriptor： ＂harmony/persistency＂）. This extended methodology was cross-validated over a time period of 3 years between the two panels （DOP/SOP）.

Slacklining as therapy to address non-specific low back pain in the presence of multifidus arthrogenic muscle inhibition

Low back pain(LBP)represents the most prevalent,problematic and painful of musculoskeletal conditions that affects both the individual and society with health and economic concerns.LBP is a heterogeneous condition with multiple diagnoses and causes.In the absence of consensus definitions,partly because of terminology inconsistency,it is further referred to as non-specific LBP(NSLBP).In NSLBP patients,the lumbar multifidus(MF),a key stabilizing muscle,has a depleted role due to recognized myocellular lipid infiltration and wasting,with the potential primary cause hypothesized as arthrogenic muscle inhibition(AMI).This link between AMI and NSLBP continues to gain increasing recognition.To date there is no‘gold standard’or consensus treatment to alleviate symptoms and disability due to NSLBP,though the advocated interventions are numerous,with marked variations in costs and levels of supportive evidence.However,there is consensus that NSLBP management be cost-effective,self-administered,educational,exercise-based,and use multi-modal and multi-disciplinary approaches.An adjuvant therapy fulfilling these consensus criteria is‘slacklining’,within an overall rehabilitation program.Slacklining,the neuromechanical action of balance retention on a tightened band,induces strategic indirect-involuntary therapeutic muscle activation exercise incorporating spinal motor control.Though several models have been proposed,understanding slacklining’s neuro-motor mechanism of action remains incomplete.Slacklining has demonstrated clinical effects to overcome AMI in peripheral joints,particularly the knee,and is reported in clinical case-studies as showing promising results in reducing NSLBP related to MF deficiency induced through AMI(MF-AMI).Therefore,this paper aims to:rationalize why and how adjuvant,slacklining therapeutic exercise may positively affect patients with NSLBP,due to MF-AMI induced depletion of spinal stabilization;considers current understandings and interventions for NSLBP,including the contributing role of MF-AMI;and details the reasons why slacklining could be considered as a potential adjuvant intervention for NSLBP through its indirect-involuntary action.This action is hypothesized to occur through an over-ride or inhibition of central down-regulatory induced muscle insufficiency,present due to AMI.This subsequently allows neuroplasticity,normal neuro-motor sequencing and muscle re-activation,which facilitates innate advantageous spinal stabilization.This in-turn addresses and reduces NSLBP,its concurrent symptoms and functional disability.This process is hypothesized to occur through four neuro-physiological processing pathways:finite neural delay;movement-control phenotypes;inhibition of action and the innate primordial imperative;and accentuated corticospinal drive.Further research is recommended to investigate these hypotheses and the effect of slacklining as an adjuvant therapy in cohort and control studies of NSLBP populations.

Basic Study on the Evaluation of Thermoplastic Polymers as Hot-Melt Adhesives for Mixed-Substrate Joining

A selection of 22 low-melting polymers was thermally and rheologically evaluated to be used as hot-melt adhesives in mixed-substrate joining samples. The choice of polymers was based on the published melting point. It was required to include a broad variety of different polymers backbones to study the influence of the different polymers comprehensively. A tool-box of widely applicable tests was developed to judge if a thermoplastic polymer is suitable for a hot-melt adhesive application. Melting temperature (onset, peak and offset temperature) and melting enthalpy were determined using standardized methods. Rheological methods were used to characterize the shear rate dependence and the flow behavior at the application temperature. The wetting behavior of the polymers was evaluated with contact angle measurements. The adhesive strength of the most promising candidates was analyzed using the Lumi Frac-adhesion method including the failure pattern.

Generation of Interactive Questionnaires Using YAWL-based Workflow Models

A concept is introduced in this article which has strong practical impact for computer aided system configuration. System configuration is a cumbersome and fault sensitive task while setting up systems in a broad range of business applications like ERP （enterprise resource planning） and other workflow-systems. Given a generic process or workflow model in YAWL-notation （yet another workflow language） or any other process modeling language like business process model and notation or WFMC （workflow management coalition）, it could be stated that, by using a set of reduction rules as introduced, it is possible to generate a hierarchically structured tree of sub graphs of the workflow graph-representation. According to the notation used, authors call these sub graphs facts. The tree structure of the graph-representation on one hand and the logical relation between the branches and leafs of the tree on the other can be utilized to create a set of constraints and dependencies among the single facts. Some researchers showed that the nested branches can be associated to （predefined） questions with respect to the configuration of a workflow management system, for instance an ERP-application. They presented an algorithm which dynamically sorts the questions and answers in a maximum efficient configuration path, while working through the corresponding questionnaire. By combining the different elements as facts, constraints on questions, and configuration space, it is thus possible to algorithmically generate the efficient structured and interactive questionnaire for the configuration of workflow systems and algorithmically check the consistency （dead lock free, free of synchronization structural conflict） of the underlying workflow model. The concept was tested in the prototype of the interactive questionnaire for configuration of the web-service based ERP-Application Posity.

Analysis of the Low-Energy π^±p Elastic-Scattering Data

We report the results of a phase-shift analysis (PSA) of the low-energy π±p elastic-scattering data. Following the method which we had set forth in our previous PSA [1], we first investigate the self-consistency of the low-energy π±p elastic-scattering databases, via two separate analyses of (first) the π+p and (subsequently) the π-p elastic-scattering data. There are two main differences to our previous PSA: 1) we now perform only one test for the acceptance of each data set (based on its contribution to the overall 2) and 2) we adopt a more stringent acceptance criterion in the statistical tests. We show that it is possible to obtain self-consistent databases after removing a very small amount of the data (4.57% of the initial database). We subsequently fit the ETH model [38] to the truncatedπ±p elastic-scattering databases. The model-parameter values show reasonable stability when subjected to different criteria for the rejection of single data points and entire data sets. Our result for the pseudovector πNN coupling constant is 0.0726±0.0014. We extract the scattering lengths and volumes, as well as the s- and p-wave hadronic phase shifts up to T = 100 MeV. Large differences in the s-wave part of the interaction can be seen when comparing our hadronic phase shifts with the current SAID solution (WI08);there is general agreement in the p waves, save for the ~1/21- hadronic phase shift.

Quality aspects of coffees and teas: Application of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to the elucidation of free radical and other processes.

Coffees and teas are beverages that are both exceptionally rich in antioxidant molecules, and are also both associated with beneficial health effects. Thus although the quality characteristics of these beverages are conventionally assessed on the basis of their sensory properties, their antioxidant contents represent an additional and increasingly valued attribute of quality based on their contributions to healthy diets. Both beverages are prepared by hot water extraction of a pure plant-derived product, and thus their compositions can potentially change quite rapidly as a result of oxidation in contact with air. Oxidative processes often proceed via free radical intermediates, and sometimes also result in the formation of stable radical end-products;thus EPR spectroscopy is a convenient technique for investigating some of the various free radical reactions that occur in these beverages. This paper reviews progress that has been made in elucidating free radical processes that occur during the preparation and storage of coffees and teas, and the results are discussed in terms of quality criteria of the beverages.

Brominated PEAI as Multi-Functional Passivator for High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cell

The interfaces of perovskite solar cells(PSCs)are well known to be rich in deep-level carrier traps,which serve as non-radiative recombination centers and limit the open-circuit voltage(Voc)and power conversion efficiency(PCE)of PSCs.Defect chemistry and surface passivators have been researched extensively and mainly focused on the neutralization of uncoordinated lead or anion defects.Herein,a novel brominated passivator 2-bromophenethylammonium iodide(2-Br-PEAI)is introduced for a multi-functional passivation effect at the perovskite interface.The brominated species readily form 2D perovskite on top of the 3D perovskite and multi-interact with the 3D perovskite surface.Apart from the halide vacancy filling and anion bonding ability,the Br atoms on the benzene ring can interact with the FA cations via strong hydrogen bonding N-H…Br and interact with the[PbI_(6)]^(4−)inorganic framework.The interface defects in the PSCs are well passivated,minimizing non-radiative recombination and enhancing device performance.As a result,a champion PCE of 24.22%was achieved with high V_(oc)and fill factor.In addition,modified devices also showed enhanced operational stability(retention of>95%initial PCE after 400 h)and humidity resistance(>90%initial PCE maintained after 1500 h under~50%RH).

Slacklining:An explanatory multi-dimensional model considering classical mechanics,biopsychosocial health and time

This paper aims to overcome slacklining’s limited formulated explanatory models.Slacklining is an activity with increasing recreational use,but also has progressive adoption into prehabilitation and rehabilitation.Slacklining is achieved through self-learned strategies that optimize energy expenditure without conceding dynamic stability,during the neuromechanical action of balance retention on a tightened band.Evolved from rope-walking or‘Funambulus’,slacklining has an extensive history,yet limited and only recent published research,particularly for clinical interventions and in-depth hypothesized multi-dimensional models describing the neuromechanical control strategies.These‘knowledge-gaps’can be overcome by providing an,explanatory model,that evolves and progresses existing standards,and explains the broader circumstances of slacklining’s use.This model details the individual’s capacity to employ control strategies that achieve stability,functional movement and progressive technical ability.The model considers contributing entities derived from:Self-learned control of movement patterns;subjected to classical mechanical forces governed by Newton’s physical laws;influenced by biopsychosocial health factors;and within time’s multi-faceted perspectives,including as a quantified unit and as a spatial and cortical experience.Consequently,specific patient and situational uses may be initiated within the framework of evidence based medicine that ensures a multi-tiered context of slacklining applications in movement,balance and stability.Further research is required to investigate and mathematically define this proposed model and potentially enable an improved understanding of human functional movement.This will include its application in other diverse constructed and mechanical applications in varied environments,automation levels,robotics,mechatronics and artificial-intelligence factors,including machine learning related to movement phenotypes and applications.

Health Status Inequality among Immigrants in Switzerland

Objective: To assess self-rated health and impairments for six large immigrant groups (Germany, Italy, Kosovo, Portugal, Serbia, Turkey) in Switzerland. Methods: We used population-based survey data from the Swiss Migrant Health Survey 2010 and the Swiss Health Survey 2007. The sample comprised permanent residents aged 17 - 64 years (n = 14,637). Multivariate logistic regressions have been used to estimate odds ratios (OR). Results: Ill health and activities of daily living (ADL) impairments were associated with older age in all groups. However, nationals from Turkey and nationals from Kosovo were substantially more likely than Swiss to report ill health (OR = 1.05;CI = 1.02 - 1.09;P = 0.001 and OR = 1.05;CI = 1.01 - 1.10;P = 0.016) and ADL impairments (OR = 1.06;CI = 1.03 - 1.09;P = 0.000 and OR = 1.04;CI = 1.01 - 1.07;P = 0.004) with increasing age. Furthermore, Portuguese women were more likely (OR = 2.65;CI = 1.40 - 5.03;P = 0.003) to report ill health than Swiss women. Conclusions: Immigrant-specific preventive and health promotion initiatives should target vulnerable immigrants from Turkey, Portugal, and Kosovo. Furthermore, groups with few economic and psychosocial resources in the general population of Switzerland should be more involved in interventions to reduce health risk.

Slacklining:A narrative review on the origins,neuromechanical models and therapeutic use

Slacklining,the neuromechanical action of balance retention on a tightened band,is achieved through self-learned strategies combining dynamic stability with optimal energy expenditure.Published slacklining literature is recent and limited,including for neuromechanical control strategy models.This paper explores slacklining’s definitions and origins to provide background that facilitates understanding its evolution and progressive incorporation into both prehabilitation and rehabilitation.Existing explanatory slacklining models are considered,their application to balance and stability,and knowledge-gaps highlighted.Current slacklining models predominantly derive from human quiet-standing and frontal plane movement on stable surfaces.These provide a multi-tiered context of the unique and complex neuro-motoric requirements for slacklining’s multiple applications,but are not sufficiently comprehensive.This consequently leaves an incomplete understanding of how slacklining is achieved,in relation to multi-directional instability and complex multi-dimensional human movement and behavior.This paper highlights the knowledge-gaps and sets a foundation for the required explanatory control mechanisms that evolve and expand a more detailed model of multi-dimensional slacklining and human functional movement.Such a model facilitates a more complete understanding of existing performance and rehabilitation applications that opens the potential for future applications into broader areas of movement in diverse fields including prostheses,automation and machine-learning related to movement phenotypes.

Advancing and demonstrating the Impact Indices method to screen the sensitivity of building energy use to occupant behaviour

A critical gap between the occupant behaviour research field and the building engineering practice limits the integration of occupant-centric strategies into simulation-aided building design and operation.Closing this gap would contribute to the implementation of strategies that improve the occupants’well-being while reducing the buildings’environmental footprint.In this view,it is urgent to develop guidelines,standardised methods,and supporting tools that facilitate the integration of advanced occupant behaviour models into the simulation studies.One important step that needs to be fully integrated into the simulation workflow is the identification of influential and non-influential occupant behaviour aspects for a given simulation problem.Accordingly,this article advances and demonstrates the application of the Impact Indices method,a fast and efficient method for screening the potential impact of occupant behaviour on the heating and cooling demand.Specifically,the method now allows the calculation of Impact Indices quantifying the sensitivity of building energy use to occupancy,lighting use,plug-load appliances use,and blind operation at any spatial and temporal resolution.Hence,users can apply it in more detailed heating and cooling scenarios without losing information.Furthermore,they can identify which components in building design and operation require more sophisticated occupant behaviour models.An office building is used as a real case study to illustrate the application of the method and asses its performance against a one-factor-at-a-time sensitivity analysis.The Impact Indices method indicates that occupancy,lighting use and plug-load appliances have the greatest impact on the annual cooling demand of the studied office building;blind operation is influential only in the west and south façades of the building.Finally,potential applications of the method in building design and operation practice are discussed.

Extension of analytical indicial aerodynamics to generic trapezoidal wings in subsonic flow

Analytical indicial aerodynamic functions are calculated for several trapezoidal wings in subsonic flow, with a Mach number 0.3 Ma 0.7. The formulation herein proposed extends wellknown aerodynamic theories, which are limited to thin aerofoils in incompressible flow, to generic trapezoidal wing planforms. Firstly, a thorough study is executed to assess the accuracy and limitation of analytical predictions, using unsteady results from two state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics solvers as cross-validated benchmarks. Indicial functions are calculated for a step change in the angle of attack and for a sharp-edge gust, each for four wing configurations and three Mach numbers. Then, analytical and computational indicial responses are used to predict dynamic derivatives and the maximum lift coefficient following an encounter with a one-minus-cosine gust. It is found that the analytical results are in excellent agreement with the computational results for all test cases. In particular, the deviation of the analytical results from the computational results is within the scatter or uncertainty in the data arising from using two computational fluid dynamics solvers. This indicates the usefulness of the developed analytical theories.

Comparison of cauliflower-insect-fungus interactions and pesticides for cabbage root fly control

Cabbage root fly （Delia radicum L.） control represents a major challenge in brassica production, therefore different management strategies for its control were tested in conventionally managed open field cauliflower production. Strategies included treatments with low-risk methods such as nitrogen lime, the insecticide spinosad and the Beauveria bassiana ATCC 74040-based biopesticide Naturalis. Their effects were compared with treatments based on nonformulated fungal species Metarhizium brunneum, B. bassiana, Clonostachys solani, Trichoderma atroviride, T. koningiopsis, and T. gamsii and commercial insecticides λ-cyhalothrin and thiamethoxam. Spinosad and thiamethoxam were pipetted to individual plants before transplanting; λ-cyhalothrin was sprayed after transplanting; nitrogen lime was applied at first hoeing. Nonformulated fimgi were delivered onto cauliflower plantlets＇ roots as a single pretransplantation inoculation. The cabbage root fly population dynamics exhibited a strong spatiotemporal variation. The lowest number of cabbage root fly pupae recovered from cauliflower roots in the field experiments was recorded in plants treated with spinosad （significant reduction）, followed by Naturalis and one of the tested M. brunneurn strains （nonsignificant reduction）. Significantly more pupae were counted in the nitrogen lime treatment. The field experiments showed that a single drench of cauliflower plantlets with spinosad offered consistent and enduring cabbage root fly control. Naturalis and nonformulated fungal isolates did not decrease cabbage root fly pressure significantly, apparently due to lack of statistical power. The implications of the substantial intra- and inter-annual pest pressure variation and the benefits of using single plant treatments are discussed, and recommendations for improvement of rhizosphere-competence utilizing biological control strategies provided.

Applications of Blockchain Technology in marketing—A systematic review of marketing technology companies

Given the emerging nature of integrating Blockchain Technology(BCT)into several business fields concerning the interaction between companies and their customers,this study aims to investigate the applications of BCT in marketing through an accurate procedure of locating,selecting and analyzing existing companies using BCT in marketing.A sample that consists of 800 companies was identified using web-scraping methods.The data set was collected from initial coin offerings(ICO)websites as well as from an existing,older landscape of applications.The data set was then intensively analyzed in order to be categorized into five fields of marketing technology.Advertising and ecommerce outgrew the other fields of social&relationship,content&experience and data in absolute numbers,revealing the focus of practitioners in the past as well as gaps for the future.The authors provided future directions for researchers on and development of tools to systematically generate knowledge and improve the application of BCT and the work of practitioners in marketing.

A Modified Gas-Kinetic Scheme for Turbulent Flow

The implementation of a turbulent gas-kinetic scheme into a finite-volume RANS solver is put forward,with two turbulent quantities,kinetic energy and dissipation,supplied by an allied turbulence model.This paper shows a number of numerical simulations of flow cases including an interaction between a shock wave and a turbulent boundary layer,where the shock-turbulent boundary layer is captured in a much more convincing way than it normally is by conventional schemes based on the Navier-Stokes equations.In the gas-kinetic scheme,the modeling of turbulence is part of the numerical scheme,which adjusts as a function of the ratio of resolved to unresolved scales of motion.In so doing,the turbulent stress tensor is not constrained into a linear relation with the strain rate.Instead it is modeled on the basis of the analogy between particles and eddies,without any assumptions on the type of turbulence or flow class.Conventional schemes lack multiscale mechanisms:the ratio of unresolved to resolved scales–very much like a degree of rarefaction–is not taken into account even if it may grow to non-negligible values in flow regions such as shocklayers.It is precisely in these flow regions,that the turbulent gas-kinetic scheme seems to provide more accurate predictions than conventional schemes.

Engineering microparticles based on solidified stem cell secretome with an augmented pro-angiogenic factor portfolio for therapeutic angiogenesis

Tissue (re)vascularization strategies face various challenges, as therapeutic cells do not survive long enough in situ, while the administration of pro-angiogenic factors is hampered by fast clearance and insufficient ability to emulate complex spatiotemporal signaling. Here, we propose to address these limitations by engineering a functional biomaterial capable of capturing and concentrating the pro-angiogenic activities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In particular, dextran sulfate, a high molecular weight sulfated glucose polymer, supplemented to MSC cul-tures, interacts with MSC-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) components and facilitates their co-assembly and accumulation in the pericellular space. Upon decellularization, the resulting dextran sulfate-ECM hybrid material can be processed into MIcroparticles of SOlidified Secretome (MIPSOS). The insoluble format of MIPSOS protects protein components from degradation, while facilitating their sustained release. Proteomic analysis demonstrates that MIPSOS are highly enriched in pro-angiogenic factors, resulting in an enhanced pro-angiogenic bioactivity when compared to naïve MSC-derived ECM (cECM). Consequently, intravital microscopy of full-thickness skin wounds treated with MIPSOS demonstrates accelerated revascularization and healing, far superior to the ther-apeutic potential of cECM. Hence, the microparticle-based solidified stem cell secretome provides a promising platform to address major limitations of current therapeutic angiogenesis approaches.

Simulation Architecture for Modelling Interaction Between User and Elbow-articulated Exoskeleton

The aim of our work is to improve the existing user-exoskeleton models by introducing a simulation architecture that can simulate its dynamic interaction, thereby altering the initial motion of the user. A simulation architecture is developed that uses the musculoskeletal models from OpenSim, and that implements an exoskeleton control algorithm and human response model in Matlab. The musculoskeletal models need to be extended with the response of a user to external forces to simulate the dy- namic interaction. A set of experiments was performed to fit this response model. A validation test showed that more than 80% of the variance of the motion could be explained. With the human response model in the combined simulation architecture, a simulation in which an object connects with the exoskeleton or with the human is performed. The effect of the exoskeleton on, among others, muscle excitation and altered motion can be assessed with this architecture. Our work can be used to better predict the effect an exoskeleton has on the user.