Academic literature on the topic 'Foot line test'

Background: A large variety of methods have been developed to classify the foot based on structure and alignment. Foot line test is one among them use to find out the influence of load carriage and musculoskeletal injuries that may be associated with an increased vertical ground reaction force. It helps to understand that the position of the medial prominence of the navicular, in a Mediolateral direction, would provide additional relevant information describing the amount of pronation. The aim of this study is to find out the normative values of the foot line test in physiotherapy students and to find out its correlation with BMI and the correlation between foot length and height of physiotherapy students. Methods: It's a cross-sectional study in which 60 subjects are included with free of a foot injury and musculoskeletal problem to lower limb. With participants in the standing position the first MTP joint and navicular tuberosity were marked on the paper. The foot line test was drawn in MTP joint and navicular tuberosity. Results: Results show that normative values for the right foot were ranging from -5 to +8 while that for the left foot was ranging from 0 to 5in males. The normative values for the right foot were ranging -3 to +3 while that for the left foot was ranging from0 to 4 in females. The correlation between BMI and right foot was positively correlated for the left foot it was negatively correlated. Correlation between foot length and height is positively correlated. Conclusion: The study result shows that the normative value of males which is found to be ranging from -5 to 8 and for females ranging from 0 to 5. For left foot normative values for males is ranging from -3 to 4, and for females, its 0 to 4. Correlation of foot length and person height is positively correlated, and the correlation of BMI is positively correlated with the right foot, negatively correlate with the left foot

This study aimed to investigate the concurrent validity between online evaluations (OEs) and face-to-face evaluations (IPEs) of a Senior Fitness Test and two balance tests in people with low back pain (LBP). Forty participants of 58.48 (9.87) years were included. The 30 s chair stand-up, arm curl, 2 min step, chair-sit and reach, back scratch, 8 foot up-and-go, sharpened Romberg, and one-legged stance tests were administrated using both OE and IPE methods. The results indicated no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the two methods except in the 8-foot up-and-go test (p = 0.007). Considering the ICC values and Bland-Altman plots, excellent agreement was found for the chair-sit and reach test, moderate agreement for the arm-curl and 8-foot up-and-go tests, and good agreement for the other tests. Strong correlations (p < 0.001) were observed in all variables except for the arm-curl and 8-foot up-and-go tests, where moderate correlations were found (p < 0.05). These results support the validity of OEs and IPEs in all tests, except for the arm-curl and 8-foot up-and-go tests, where lower ICC values and moderate correlations were found. However, it is important to consider the range of fluctuation of the ICC and the significant values obtained through correlations.

The circadian rhythm of body core and surface temperature in 10 Comisana sheep kept under a natural photoperiod (06:30/19:00) was evaluated. Every 3 h for 24 consecutive hours rectal temperature (RT) and foot temperature were recorded. Particularly, foot temperature was recorded by infrared thermography, an ideal technique for evaluating the temperature not only at one point but also at the eight points as follows: in the right front of the interdigital area (FA1), in the left front of the interdigital area (FA2), in the right rear of the interdigital area (RA1), in the left rear of the interdigital area (RA2), in the right front of the interdigital line (FL1), in the left front of the interdigital line (FL2), in the right rear of the interdigital line (RL1) and in the left rear of the interdigital line (RL2). Two-way repeated measures ANOVA using SPSS, followed by Scheffé's test, showed a significant effect of the time of day and side of temperature collection (P < 0.05) on temperature values. The single cosinor procedure showed a daily rhythmicity of RT and foot temperature in all tested sides. The circadian oscillations of RT reflected the familiar circadian patterns of endogenous sources and the results of foot temperatures supported the idea that the daily rhythm was, at least in part, influenced by variation in the blood flow to the extremities. The infrared thermography providing more information on the development of disturbances in the peripheral circulation may be used with an advantage in occupational health examinations and in special clinical work.

In order to test the result of straight-line walking driven by simple cycloid foot trajectory, a kind of quadruped robot is proposed and Adams software is used to simulate the gait. According to the results, the shortage of simple cycloid foot trajectory is analyzed, that the unequal velocity of supporting feet was the key cause of feet-slippage and laterodeviation in the process of simulation. Thereby, the supporting phase of cycloid gait is smoothed, so that the phenomenon of differential in supporting legs is eliminated and the foot velocity is guaranteed to be continuous. After simulation again, the results show that feet-slippage and laterodeviation are solved.

Abstract : Rigid Medial Arch Support, Flexible Medial Arch Support, Walking speed, Flat Foot. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in walking speed the use of rigid medial arch support with flexible medial arch support in patients with flat foot. The type of this research is Observational with Cross sectional design. The instruments, materials or tools in this study consist of (1) rigid medial arch support, (2) flexible medial arch support (3) mid line/ruler (4) stopwatch (5) carton paper (6) liquid color, (7) pen, and (8) resulting paper . The average current speed calculation result using rigid medial arch support is 0.69 m / s and the average current speed calculation result using flexible medial arch support is 0.78 m / s. The result of Shapiro wilk data normality (N = 20) shows abnormal distributed data. Therefore, by using non-parametric test test (Wilcoxon test) obtained P = 0.000 (P <0.05). From these results it can be concluded that there is a differences in walking speed the use of rigid medial arch support with flexible medial arch support in patients with flat foot.

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot Introduction/Purpose: The incompetence of both dynamic and static structures in the foot is responsible for acquired pes planus deformity. The aim of this study was to identify the anatomical location of the midfoot break in symptomatic pes planus deformity, and its relationship with other pes planus radiographic foot measurements. Methods: We completed the radiographic evaluation of 75 feet diagnosed with symptomatic pes planus. The break in the medial column line (Meary’s line) was measured on the lateral radiograph at the intersection of the anatomical axis of the talus and the first metatarsal. Pes planus measurements were performed on each the weight-bearing AP and lateral radiographs, including talonavicular coverage angle, talar – first/ second metatarsal angle, talar uncoverage, talocalcaneal angle, Meary’s angle line break, calcaneal and talar inclination, talocalcaneal angle, cuneiform - metatarsal, tarsal joints angles and distances. Due to Gaussian distribution, unpaired t-test and ANOVA tests were used. Results: The medial column line collapse was at the talonavicular joint in 77.3%, naviculocuneiform in 20%, and cuneiform metatarsal in 2.6%. The line angle severity was proportional to the talonavicular coverage angle and talar uncoverage (p 0.001, R2 0.4915 and P 0.003, R2 0.223). On comparison of the 3 line-break groups, the talocalcaneal angle was significantly higher when the line break was at talonavicular joint (P 0.001) although Meary’s angle was not significantly more severe. Conclusion: The apex of the medial column collapse occurs not only at the talonavicular joint but also distal to the spring ligament and tibialis posterior insertion. Foot abduction increases with the increase in the line collapse regardless of the breaking point. Talus flexion is worse if the arch collapse is at the talonavicular joint, suggesting incompetency of the spring ligament. Assessing the apex of deformity is essential to decide the correct operative strategy.

Flat feet can cause a reduction in the foot function resulting in fatigue when walking or running. This condition can result in a suboptimal intensity exercise required to improve VO2Max of Pencak Silat athletes. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the shape of foot and VO2Max based on training duration among Pencak Silat athletes at the provincial level of DKI Jakarta. The study used a cross-sectional design involving 46 athletes selected through a total sampling. The subject criteria for this study included athletes aged 17-24 years, healthy, and had no lower extremities problems. The study utilized footprint test and multistage fitness test instruments. The study found that 27 (58.7%) athletes had a normal foot shape, while 19 (41.3%) had flat feet. There were no differences in age, sex, body mass index, and training duration between the two groups of foot shape (p 0.05). The maximum VO2 value was 45.0 (7.2) ml/kg/min in athletes with normal foot shape and 40.1 (70.5) ml/kg/min in athletes with flat feet. The independent t-test revealed a significant difference in VO2Max between the two groups of foot shapes (p = 0.028). The increase of VO2Max was in line with the duration of exercise, but this increase was not significant in subjects with flat feet compared to those with normal foot shape. It concludes that flat feet are negatively associated with VO2Max of athletes. Pencak Silat athletes with flat feet must exert extra effort to enhance their VO2Max, such as interval training and kinesio taping. Further research is recommended to explore the impact of these efforts on improving VO2Max.

INTRODUCTION: The ankle–foot complex is the third most common site of pain in Indian dancers. In Bharatanatyam dance, rhythmic stamping performed barefoot at varying speeds may influence the height of the medial longitudinal arch, causing structural alteration of the ankle-foot complex. As little information is available on the ankle-foot complex of Bharatanatyam dancers, the present study was conducted to test the hypothesis that foot characteristics of Bharatanatyam dancers differ from those of non-dancers. METHODS: Female professional Bharatanatyam dancers (n=21), aged 18–30 years, with a minimum of 8 years of performance experience after completing formal dance training, and 21 control non-dancers participated in this study. Physical foot examination included navicular drop test and Feiss line. Foot geometry and pedobarography were recorded as participants walked barefoot at self-selected walking pace over a pressure-platform. An average of five gait cycles was computed to analyse maximum peak pressure (MPP), pressure time integral, contact time, and foot geometry of the midfoot, forefoot, great toe, and second to fifth toes. Analysis of covariance was performed for intergroup comparison of all variables with gait speed as a covariate. RESULTS: During walking, dancers presented a higher medial-longitudinal-arch, wider midfoot, and wider forefoot (cm) (p<0.001), indicating an over-pronated foot due to lower medial longitudinal arch height. Total plantar peak pressure (kPa) was 37% higher among dancers, whereas MPP was 24% higher on midfoot and 13% higher on forefoot, indicating greater plantar loading during walking. CONCLUSION: Greater plantar loading and an over-pronated foot during the most commonly performed weight-bearing activity of daily living (e.g., walking) explain the common prevalence of ankle and foot pain among dancers. These findings will inform clinicians and Bharatanatyam dancers on dancer’s foot function and guide strategies for prevention and management of foot pain.

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers are the most universal cause of non-traumatic amputations of the foot in developing countries. One of the treatment modalities is to improve the peripheral blood supply to the area of ulcer. To this purpose the study was done to evaluate the safety and efficacy of oral Arborium plus (herbal liquid formulation) in the wound closure of diabetic foot patients.Methods: 50 patients were randomly assigned to either of the groups (each group 25 patients) to receive either the test drug (Arborium plus) at tertiary care teaching hospital, it was an open label prospective and interventional parallel group study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Arborium plus in diabetic foot syndrome. The study participants were randomized into control and intervention groups. Base line measurements of vascular flow was ankle- brachial pressure index (ABPI) and wound size measurement.Results: The baseline characteristics of the patients age in years test and control group 68±12.3 and 67±13.4 respectively. Male/female in both groups was 21/4 and 22/3 respectively. Duration of diabetes in years 8.65±8.3 and 8.5±7.6 respectively. BMI was 25.11±4.15 and 24.75±0.85, duration of smoking (years) 17.3±9.5 and 19.5±10.5 respectively in both groups. Among the test group who received the proprietary formulation of Arborium plus, there was a significant reduction in the wound size.Conclusions: Wound healing and ABPI improvements were observed with usage of Arborium plus suggest an improvement in peripheral vascular flow in diabetic foot subjects.

yes<br>This paper describes a technique for automatic recognition of off-line printed Arabic text using Hidden Markov Models. In this work different sizes of overlapping and non-overlapping hierarchical windows are used to generate 16 features from each vertical sliding strip. Eight different Arabic fonts were used for testing (viz. Arial, Tahoma, Akhbar, Thuluth, Naskh, Simplified Arabic, Andalus, and Traditional Arabic). It was experimentally proven that different fonts have their highest recognition rates at different numbers of states (5 or 7) and codebook sizes (128 or 256). Arabic text is cursive, and each character may have up to four different shapes based on its location in a word. This research work considered each shape as a different class, resulting in a total of 126 classes (compared to 28 Arabic letters). The achieved average recognition rates were between 98.08% and 99.89% for the eight experimental fonts. The main contributions of this work are the novel hierarchical sliding window technique using only 16 features for each sliding window, considering each shape of Arabic characters as a separate class, bypassing the need for segmenting Arabic text, and its applicability to other languages.

Ce document présente tout d'abord l'état des pratiques méthodologiques en entreprise pour accéder à la performance organoleptique d'aliments puis propose de nouvelles pistes méthodologiques. L'analyse de la bibliographie et la réalisation de différentes comparaisons de tests en salle et de tests à domicile nous a permis d'appréhender l'influence des conditions d'évaluation sur la réponse hédonique. La deuxième partie de ce travail répond à la nécessité d'améliorer la qualité des informations hédoniques récoltées lors des tests en salle. Nous avons fait le choix de nous pencher sur deux problèmes rencontrés lors des tests en salle : le caractère artificiel des conditions de dégustations et le manque d'implication des participants dans leur réponse hédonique. Quatre pistes méthodologiques ont été retenues : - un protocole qui propose un environnement physique d'évaluation approprié au produit, - un protocole qui permet de récolter une information hédonique fonction de différentes situations de consommation, - un protocole qui mesure le degré d'authenticité perçu d'un produit après l'activation d'un état émotionnel négatif envers les produits chez le participant, - un protocole de choix non hypothétique de produits à emporter. La spécificité de ce travail concerne l'adaptation de ces méthodes et l'exploration de leur potentiel dans un cadre industriel. Les applications de chacune de ces propositions méthodologiques pour des biscuits feuilletés au fromage illustrent leur faisabilité technique et la richesse des informations récoltées en comparaison à un test en salle traditionnel.

Arabic text recognition was not researched as thoroughly as other natural languages. The need for automatic Arabic text recognition is clear. In addition to the traditional applications like postal address reading, check verification in banks, and office automation, there is a large interest in searching scanned documents that are available on the internet and for searching handwritten manuscripts. Other possible applications are building digital libraries, recognizing text on digitized maps, recognizing vehicle license plates, using it as first phase in text readers for visually impaired people and understanding filled forms. This research work aims to contribute to the current research in the field of optical character recognition (OCR) of printed Arabic text by developing novel techniques and schemes to advance the performance of the state of the art Arabic OCR systems. Statistical and analytical analysis for Arabic Text was carried out to estimate the probabilities of occurrences of Arabic character for use with Hidden Markov models (HMM) and other techniques. Since there is no publicly available dataset for printed Arabic text for recognition purposes it was decided to create one. In addition, a minimal Arabic script is proposed. The proposed script contains all basic shapes of Arabic letters. The script provides efficient representation for Arabic text in terms of effort and time. Based on the success of using HMM for speech and text recognition, the use of HMM for the automatic recognition of Arabic text was investigated. The HMM technique adapts to noise and font variations and does not require word or character segmentation of Arabic line images. In the feature extraction phase, experiments were conducted with a number of different features to investigate their suitability for HMM. Finally, a novel set of features, which resulted in high recognition rates for different fonts, was selected. The developed techniques do not need word or character segmentation before the classification phase as segmentation is a byproduct of recognition. This seems to be the most advantageous feature of using HMM for Arabic text as segmentation tends to produce errors which are usually propagated to the classification phase. Eight different Arabic fonts were used in the classification phase. The recognition rates were in the range from 98% to 99.9% depending on the used fonts. As far as we know, these are new results in their context. Moreover, the proposed technique could be used for other languages. A proof-of-concept experiment was conducted on English characters with a recognition rate of 98.9% using the same HMM setup. The same techniques where conducted on Bangla characters with a recognition rate above 95%. Moreover, the recognition of printed Arabic text with multi-fonts was also conducted using the same technique. Fonts were categorized into different groups. New high recognition results were achieved. To enhance the recognition rate further, a post-processing module was developed to correct the OCR output through character level post-processing and word level post-processing. The use of this module increased the accuracy of the recognition rate by more than 1%.<br>King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM)

Arabic text recognition was not researched as thoroughly as other natural languages. The need for automatic Arabic text recognition is clear. In addition to the traditional applications like postal address reading, check verification in banks, and office automation, there is a large interest in searching scanned documents that are available on the internet and for searching handwritten manuscripts. Other possible applications are building digital libraries, recognizing text on digitized maps, recognizing vehicle license plates, using it as first phase in text readers for visually impaired people and understanding filled forms. This research work aims to contribute to the current research in the field of optical character recognition (OCR) of printed Arabic text by developing novel techniques and schemes to advance the performance of the state of the art Arabic OCR systems. Statistical and analytical analysis for Arabic Text was carried out to estimate the probabilities of occurrences of Arabic character for use with Hidden Markov models (HMM) and other techniques. Since there is no publicly available dataset for printed Arabic text for recognition purposes it was decided to create one. In addition, a minimal Arabic script is proposed. The proposed script contains all basic shapes of Arabic letters. The script provides efficient representation for Arabic text in terms of effort and time. Based on the success of using HMM for speech and text recognition, the use of HMM for the automatic recognition of Arabic text was investigated. The HMM technique adapts to noise and font variations and does not require word or character segmentation of Arabic line images. In the feature extraction phase, experiments were conducted with a number of different features to investigate their suitability for HMM. Finally, a novel set of features, which resulted in high recognition rates for different fonts, was selected. The developed techniques do not need word or character segmentation before the classification phase as segmentation is a byproduct of recognition. This seems to be the most advantageous feature of using HMM for Arabic text as segmentation tends to produce errors which are usually propagated to the classification phase. Eight different Arabic fonts were used in the classification phase. The recognition rates were in the range from 98% to 99.9% depending on the used fonts. As far as we know, these are new results in their context. Moreover, the proposed technique could be used for other languages. A proof-of-concept experiment was conducted on English characters with a recognition rate of 98.9% using the same HMM setup. The same techniques where conducted on Bangla characters with a recognition rate above 95%. Moreover, the recognition of printed Arabic text with multi-fonts was also conducted using the same technique. Fonts were categorized into different groups. New high recognition results were achieved. To enhance the recognition rate further, a post-processing module was developed to correct the OCR output through character level post-processing and word level post-processing. The use of this module increased the accuracy of the recognition rate by more than 1%.

Les milieux aquatiques constituent des réservoirs ultimes pour de nombreux polluants organiques persistants,notamment les polychlorobiphényles (PCB, composés bioaccumulables) et les hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques (HAP, composés accumulés dans le sédiment et métabolisés par les vertébrés). Les poissons peuvent être exposés à ces polluants à plusieurs stades de vie, ce qui peut altérer leur intégrité fonctionnelle. Les objectifs de cette thèse étaient d'évaluer les altérations physiologiques entrainées par des expositions représentatives de situations environnementales. Ainsi, d'une part, des juvéniles et adultes de poissons zèbres ont été exposés par voie trophique à des mélanges de PCB représentatifs des estuaires européens. Les résultats montrent que la bioaccumulation varie en fonction des congénères de même que le transfert vers les oeufs, et pour ce dernier, le niveau de substitution par des chlores est déterminant. Une altération de la reproduction caractérisée par une réduction du taux de fécondation et l'apparition d'une atrésie folliculaire massive ont été montrées. Ces travaux pourraient être complétés 1) au niveau moléculaire pour mieux comprendre les mécanismes sous-jacents et notamment l'activité perturbateur endocrinien et 2) par l'évaluation des effets au niveau des populations par une approche de modélisation. D'autre part, des embryons ont été exposés pendant 96h à des sédiments enrobés par des HAP individuels. Les phénotypes obtenus sont conformes aux effets décrits pour ces HAP et ont permis de valider la procédure d'exposition. Cette procédure pourrait être utilisée pour évaluer la toxicité de sédiments naturels après extraction de la fraction aromatique, ainsi que pour évaluer la toxicité de molécules hydrophobes. Pour être fiable dans le cadre de tests, il reste indispensable d'identifier des marqueurs précoces d'effets tardifs pour éviter de sous-estimer la toxicité d'un composé.

Idag använder allt fler människor sina smartphones för att surfa och använda tjänster online. Detta innebär att en stor del text läses på små skärmar. Detta arbete handlar om hur text bäst utformas och struktureras för att enklast kunna läsas och uppfattas på en mobilskärm. Faktorer som berörs är typgrad, ljusrum, textlängd, teckensnittsklass, radlängd, bild i text och kontrastverkan. Arbetet utgår från en normativ, svensk person utan funktionsnedsättningar. Arbetet är grundat på litteratur, egna analyser, intervjuer med branschfolk, enkätundersökning och test med fokusgrupp. Resultatet blev att en text på smartphone bäst utformas med flera styckesindelningar i form av blankrader, med bilder där bilden tillför något i informativt syfte och textlängd baserat på ämneskategori. Bilden bör sättas ovanför brödtexten. Längre texter ska sättas med scrollfunktion. Kontrast har stor betydelse på mobiltelefoner, texter går bra att läsa även när de är satta negativt. Teckensnittsklass är enligt resultatet av denna rapport inte av betydelse. Både seriff och sanserif kan läsas utan problem på smartphones. Typgraden bör förstoras något i förhållande till telefonens default-inställningar. På grund av att text på skärm inte stödjer avstavningar rekommenderas korta ord där det är möjligt för att förhindra en allt för hackig högerkant.<br>This research focuses on the issue of how to best structure text on a Smartphone screen. The factors involved in this research are text size, white space, text and line lengths, serif and sans serif fonts, pictures in text and contrast.  The methodology of our research is based on a normative Swedish able-bodied person, as well as on relevant literature, personal analyses, interviews with people in the trade, an online survey, and a test performed with a focus group. The results are that a text written for Smartphones is best structured with: several paragraph divisions made with blank lines, with pictures where the picture has an informational purpose, and text length based on category of subject. The picture should be placed above the body text. Longer texts should be set with a scroll-function. Contrast is of great importance on mobile phones as texts can be read properly even when set in negative. In addition, using serif or sans serif is of no importance. According to the results both serif and sans serif can be read without difficulties on a Smartphone. Text size should be slightly enlarged in relation to the default settings on the mobile device. Since word division is not supported on screen, short words are recommended when possible to prevent a highly uneven right end.

La présente étude est destinée à l’éclaircissement de la représentation de la table, des plats, de la nourriture et également de la cuisine, du restaurant et de la salle à manger figurés dans les œuvres de Proust, À la recherche du temps perdu en particulier. Proust, qui subit l’influence des romanciers du XIXème siècle où les écrivains tels que Balzac et Flaubert décrivent la nourriture en tant que motif littéraire, a inclus dans ses romans une profusion d’allusions à la nourriture et de scènes de la table et de l’acte de manger. La première partie est consacré à examiner le plat, le bœuf à la casserole, apparu dans « le drame du coucher », qu’on sert dans la salle à manger familiale comme rite quasiment religieux, qui peut rassurer le garçon angoissé, parce que cette espace rappelle le ventre maternel, espace le plus rassurant de tous. Par la suite, notre thèse traite de la relation entre l’épisode de la madeleine et celui de la mort de Bergotte, car si on considère la question de la résurrection dans le sens religieux, où on voit le thématique mort et résurrection dans ce deuxième épisode. La madeleine qui figure comme le symbole de la résurrection ou de la naissance et les pommes de terre, à cause desquelles Bergotte croit avoir un simple malaise digestif, alors qu’il est en train de mourir, ont des points communs. Enfin, notre objet de recherche s’est étendu à la relation entre la nourriture ou l’espace des repas et les personnages, et cette relation fait souvent appel aux œuvres du XIXe siècle où la nourriture devient un miroir des personnages<br>In this study, I try to throw new light on the representation of food and dishes as well as place of eating: kitchens, dining rooms and restaurants in Proust’s work, particularly In Search of Lost time. Proust, under the influence of 19th century novelist such as Balzac and Flaubert, who describe food as literary motif, always slips into his books many allusions to food and meats. I work the first part of my study to the dish called a “bœuf à la casserole” which is served in the familial dining room. This dish appears for the first time in “the good-night scene” The sorrowful young boy regards the act of eating it as a quasi-religion rite, that way comfort him, especially since the area of the dining room reminds him of the maternal womb, in other words the most comforting place in the whole world. Then, in the second part of my study, I attempt to deal with the relation between the “petite madeleine” and Bergotte’s death. For birth, death and resurrection, in the religious sense of the death, continue the thematic shared by both of those episodes. The “petite madeleine”, symbol of birth or resurrection, and the potatoes, of which Bergotte, who is dying, wrongly thinks they cause him a feeling of sickness, has a lot in common. Finally, in the third part of my study, I try to describe the relation between foods, meals, places of eating and characters in the light of Proust’s predecessors 19th century novelists, who consider a mirror of their own characters

L'objectif de ce travail est d'établir des relations entre chimie d'interface et propriétés mécaniques dans les assemblages bimétalliques. Il met en évidence que les mécanismes qui contrôlent le développement d'une interface entre alliage Al-Si et renfort ferreux ou titane ont une influence majeure sur les propriétés mécaniques de cette interface. La caractérisation mécanique des interfaces est réalisée par un test de flexion 4 points sur des lames bimétallique élaborées par aluminiage au trempé sur lesquelles un raidisseur est rapporté par collage ou surmoulage. L'évolution de la chimie de la zone de réaction interfaciale est provoquée par un traitement thermique à 535°C à différents temps. La caractérisation des zones de réaction ainsi que des chemins de fissuration est réalisée par diffraction des rayons X et microsonde électronique. Pour les interfaces Fe/A-S7G03 brutes d'élaboration, avant traitement thermique, l'analyse des essais mécaniques conduit à l'obtention d'une valeur du taux de restitution d'énergie de 23 J/m2 qui correspond à la propagation d'une fissure dans la phase η−Al5Fe2(Si). En ce qui concerne les interfaces Ti/A-S7G03, leur force n'a pas permis la propagation d'une fissure dans les conditions de l'essai. A la suite d'un traitement thermique à 535°C, les interfaces Fe/A-S7G03 sont fragilisées par le mécanisme de croissance de la couche de réaction interfaciale qui conduit à l'apparition de porosités Kirkendall en son sein. A l'inverse, dans le cas des interfaces Ti/A-S7G03, aucun affaiblissement de l'interface n'est associé au traitement thermique en raison d'un mécanisme de croissance différent.

<div>The ability to non-destructively assess fruit or vegetable quality would confer a decided marketing advantage to packing and processing sectors of most horticultural industries. The potential of near infra -red spectroscopy (NIRS) for non-invasive measurement of eating quality of pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill, cv. 'Smooth Cayenne') and mango (Magnifera indica L., var. 'Kensington') fruit was assessed. Near infra -red (NIR) reflectance spectra (760-2500 nm) from an area of approximately 16 cm2 were correlated with pineapple juice Brix and with mango flesh dry matter (DM) measured from fruit flesh directly underlying the scanned area. The highest correlations for both fruit were found using the second derivative of the spectra (d2 log 1/R, where R is the amount of light energy emerging from the sample). Calibration using multiple linear regression (MLR) in an additive regression equation has practical application in that absorbance data from only four wavelengths are required. However, modified partial least squares (MPLS) regression analysis, which uses the whole spectrum, gave a better coefficient of determination (R2). Multiple linear regression using d2 log 1/R of pineapple fruit spectra (n = 85) gave a calibration equation with a R2 of 0.75, and a standard error of calibration (SEC) of 1.21° Brix, with a mean Brix of 12.1°. Modified partial least squares regression analysis yielded a calibration equation with a R2 of 0.91 and a SEC of 0.69° Brix. For mango, MLR gave a calibration equation using d2 log 1/R with a R2 of 0.90 and a SEC of 0.85% DM, with a mean of 18.0% DM. Using MPLS analysis, a calibration equation with a R2 of 0.98, a standard error of cross validation (SECV) of 1.19 was obtained.</div><div><br></div><div>Pre- and post -dispersive near infra -red spectroscopy were compared for non-invasive measurement of fruit quality of intact pineapple. In the pre -dispersive technique, monochromatic light was delivered via a fibre optic bundle to a probe which contained reflectance detectors. The same fruit were then assessed by the post -dispersive technique, with the fruit illuminated from a distance of 70 mm using white light generated by a tungsten halogen lamp, and reflected light delivered via a fibre optic bundle to a diffraction grating and associated detectors. The post -dispersive technique was comparable to the pre -dispersive technique in terms of accuracy (e.g. R2 0.73, SECV 1.01° Brix).</div><div><br></div><div>Near infra -red technology offers the potential to assess fruit sweetness in intact whole pineapple and dry matter in mango fruit, respectively, to within 1° Brix and 1% DM, and could be used for the grading of fruit in fruit packing sheds. Application of post - dispersive NIR technology to in -line assessment of intact fruit in a packing shed environment is discussed.</div>

Realizzato nell'ambito dei due finanziamenti PRIN 2003-2006, il portale raccoglie e presenta i materiali dell'Archivio Palazzeschi dell'Università di Firenze, dell'Archivio Gozzano-Pavese dell'Università di Torino, dell'Archivio del Novecento in Liguria dell'Università di Genova, alcuni fondi dell'Archivio del Novecento dell'Università La Sapienza di Roma e dell'Archivio linguistico e cinematografico italiano (Aleci) di Alberto Raffaelli. Esso conserva manoscritti, lettere, foto, filmati in formato digitale visibili e consultabili on line, con possibilità di un'ampia gamma di ricerche sui dati e sui testi.

A leading psychologist looks at the pitfalls women face when, like the fairytale Cinderella, they focus on pleasing others and conforming to stereotypes instead of expressing their individuality. In this thought-provoking volume, clinical psychologist Vera Maass examines the negative side of the glory of Cinderella's promise: that women buying into the myth's demand for conformity risk losing their individuality and sacrificing their personal goals. Think the tale is too old or too innocent to be relevant? See television's "The Bachelor." Based on Maass' extensive psychotherapy work and interviews, The Cinderella Test: Would You Really Want the Shoe to Fit? provides answers and strategies to issues raised by clients in therapy and women in the community at large—women of all ages and backgrounds. Maass also integrates stories of women throughout history who broke through limits placed upon them by sociocultural expectations and achieved richer, more fulfilled lives. An eye-opening look at the choices and challenges faced by women today, The Cinderella Test shows the dangers of trying to make the foot fit the slipper, and why and how Cinderella herself should be doing the testing.

Exploring the rich and varied culinary traditions of China, this book enables a better understanding of Chinese history and culture through food. Part of Bloomsbury’s Global Kitchen series, this book takes readers on a food tour of China, covering everything from daily staples to holiday specialties. In addition to discovering China's long culinary history, you’ll learn about recent trends, foreign influences, and contemporary food and dietary concerns, such as obesity and environmental sustainability. Chapters are organized thematically, making it easy to focus in on particular courses or types of dishes. For those hungry for a more hands-on approach, each chapter includes a collection of accessible recipes that allow readers to bring the subject to life in their own kitchens. The main text is supplemented by sidebars that offer interesting bite-sized facts, a chronology of important dates in China’s culinary history, and a glossary of key food- and dining-related terms. Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of modern China, asserted that China's food culture was the most advanced and sophisticated in the world, despite the country lagging the West in science, industry, and civic engagement. Today, many people outside China immediately envision iconic dishes like fried rice, egg rolls, or sweet and sour pork when they think of Chinese food. But China has a much richer and more diverse set of culinary traditions. China's food culture is one of the oldest in the world, evolving over thousands of years. It has been shaped by a myriad of forces, from historical struggles with food insecurity to the modern push toward speed and convenience. Across this large nation, unique cuisines emerged that reflect the varied geography, climate, and customs of different regions.

The ways of life of four great ancient civilizations— Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Celtic—are illuminated here through their foodways. As these cultures moved toward settled agriculture, a time of experimentation and learning began. Cities emerged, and with them consumer societies that needed to be supplied. Food Culture in the Ancient World draws on writings of classical authors such as Petronius, Galen, and Cato, as well as on archeological findings, to present intimate insight into ancient peoples. This volume will be indispensable as it complements classical history, cultural, and literature studies at the high school and college levels and will also inform the general reader. The book begins with an overview of the civilizations and their agricultural practices and trade. A full discussion of available foodstuffs describes the discovery, emergence, usage, and appraisals of a host of ingredients. A subsequent chapter covers food by civilization. Chapters on food preparation, the food professions, and eating habits provide a fascinating look at the social structure, with slaves and women preparing and serving food. Accounts of the gatherings of slaves and freedmen in taverns, inns, and bars and the notorious banquet, symposium, feast, and convivium of the elite are particularly intriguing and crucial to understanding male society. Other aspects of ancient life brought to life for the reader include food for soldiers, food in religious and funerary practices, and concepts of diet and nutrition. Many Classical recipes are interspersed with the text, along with illustrations.

Regional American food culture still exists and is strongest in more rural, homogenous areas of the country. Regional foods are a major component of regional identities, and Americans make a big to-do about their home-grown favorites. The current food cultures of the major American regions-northeast/New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the South, the West, the Midwest-and subregions are illuminated here like never before. Everyone knows something about the iconic fare of a region, such as Soul Food in the South and New England clam bakes, but with this resource readers are able to delve wider and deeper into how Americans from Alaska to Hawaii to the Amish country of the Midwest to the Eastern Seaboard sustain themselves and what their food lifestyles are today. The unique regional food cultures that have developed according to natural resources and population are increasingly affected by social and economic trends. Increasingly mobile Americans generally have access to the same fast food and supermarket chain offerings, read the same mass market food magazines and watch the cable food shows, and younger generations may have less time to continue family food traditions such as baking the ethnic breads and desserts that their mothers did. Regional American Food Culture discusses the various traditions within the context of a new millennium. Narrative chapters describe the background of the regional food culture, what the primary foods are, how the food is cooked and by whom, what the typical meals are, how food is used in special occasions, and diet and health issues in the regions. A chronology, resource guide, selected bibliography, and illustrations complement the text.

Providing an indispensable resource for students and scholars studying the history of medieval women and gender, this book provides a comprehensive depiction of women's lives in the 14th and 15th centuries. The late medieval period in England was one rich with opportunities for women, who played fundamental roles in family businesses as well as in the peasant community and economy, and who wrote letters, created autobiographies, and documented their spiritual journeys. Their lives fit into a pattern of seasonal celebrations and rituals shaped, for the majority of women, by work, marriage, and motherhood. The text further considers status distinctions, then shifts to experiences that affected all women, such as the ritual year, disease, food and drink, sex or celibacy, and religion. By providing an overview of the history of English women and gender in the 14th and 15th centuries, the book provides a background suitable for students as well as for academics beginning work in this field.

Ever get a yen for hemp seed soup, digestive pottage, carp fritters, jasper of milk, or frog pie? Would you like to test your culinary skills whipping up some edible counterfeit snow or nun's bozolati? Perhaps you have an assignment to make a typical Renaissance dish. The cookbook presents 171 unadulterated recipes from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Elizabethan eras. Most are translated from French, Italian, or Spanish into English for the first time. Some English recipes from the Elizabethan era are presented only in the original if they are close enough to modern English to present an easy exercise in translation. Expert commentary helps readers to be able to replicate the food as nearly as possible in their own kitchens. An introduction overviews cuisine and food culture in these time periods and prepares the reader to replicate period food with advice on equipment, cooking methods, finding ingredients, and reading period recipes. The recipes are grouped by period and then type of food or course. Three lists of recipes-organized by how they appear in the book and by country and by special occasions-in the frontmatter help to quickly identify the type of dish desired. Some recipes will not appeal to modern tastes or sensibilities. This cookbook does not sanitize them for the modern palate. Most everything in this book is perfectly edible and, according to the author, noted food historian Ken Albala, delicious!

Latini’s masterpiece of Baroque cooking and household management was the first book to publish recipes using tomatoes and chilli peppers. This first complete English translation presents the text with contextual introduction and notes to aid the reader’s understanding. The Modern Steward was published in Naples in 1692-94, when the city was a major cultural centre. It includes a wealth of recipes, plus discussions of the kitchen and serving staff, setting the table, menus, protocol, entertainment, and wines. There are also sections on health, accounts of specific banquets, and even a description of an eruption of Vesuvius. It is the last great book of the Italian Renaissance and Baroque cooking tradition. Latini was also interested in local ingredients and customs, and open to new French trends. The book will interest historians of early modern Italy, food, material culture, and the social and cultural life of the European elites, as well as connoisseurs of fine dining, and cooks.

AbstractThe research investigated the influence of different collection bag types on the environmental and energy performances of the food waste management chain, comparing paper and bioplastic bags. First, the use of bags during the food waste household storage was examined. Subsequently, the behavior of bags when subjected to anaerobic digestion was evaluated, performing Biochemical Methane Potential tests and semi-continuous co-digestion tests with the food waste, to simulate the operating conditions of full-scale digesters. Finally, the performances of the food waste management chain were evaluated, with a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The experimental tests showed a more favorable behavior of paper bags, showing a very good compatibility with the anaerobic digestion. The LCA results revealed how paper bags lead to improvements in the impact associated to the food waste management. Graphical Abstract

Abstract In industrial design, sustainably focused materials, such as recyclable and renewable materials, are rapidly emerging. Product materials are linked to their origins when narrating their claims in sustainable marketing. Coffee ground waste is now used in non-food items like cups and eyewear. Online users connect material information to their knowledge of its origin, influenced by product types and cultural backgrounds. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) tested positive and negative associations of coffee ground waste materials with various products among respondents from Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Malaysian respondents associated the material with food-related products and “indulgent”, while Saudi respondents linked it to memorabilia and “sentimental”. This study's findings provided valuable insights for designers, enabling them to strategically apply materials made from Coffee Ground Waste to ensure a positive reception in the market.

AbstractTo protect sustainable development interests, WTO panels must consider all relevant elements. These elements vary according to different sustainable development interests. This chapter outlines the factors that WTO panels must consider when balancing these diverse interests. To avoid redundancy, I categorise these factors into four groups based on the TSDCs. They involve (1) poverty eradication and inequality reduction, (2) food security and sustainable agriculture, (3) human health and life, and (4) climate change, the ocean, and clean energy. This chapter explains how WTO panels avoid undermining any SDGs when reviewing the legality of domestic measures related to various SDGs. In other words, it addresses how to ensure that WTO members pursue one TSDC without violating others using the sustainability test. The findings in this chapter are based on a critical analysis of WTO jurisprudence. Therefore, each section will first explore the SDGs related to a TSDC, their relevance to WTO dispute settlement, and the issues in existing cases before indicating how WTO panels should balance these factors when implementing the sustainability test.

AbstractTwo chassis components were developed at the Technische Universität Darmstadt that are used to isolate the body and to reduce wheel load fluctuation.The frequency responses of the components were identified with a stochastic foot point excitation in a hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) simulation environment at the hydropulser. The modelling of the transmission behaviour influence of the testing machine on the frequency response was approximately represented with a time delay of $$10\,\mathrm {ms}$$ 10 ms in the frequency range up to $$25\,\mathrm {Hz}$$ 25 Hz . This is considered by a Padé approximation. It can be seen that the dynamics of the testing machine have an influence on the wheel load fluctuation and the body acceleration, especially in the natural frequency of the unsprung mass. Therefor, the HiL stability is analysed by mapping the poles of the system in the complex plane, influenced by the time delay and virtual damping.This paper presents the transfer from virtual to real quarter car to quantify the model uncertainty of the component, since the time delay impact does not occur in the real quarter car test rig. The base point excitation directly is provided by the testing machine and not like in the case of the HiL test rig, the compression of the spring damper calculated in the real-time simulation.

Abstract Although historically a surplus food producer, Bulgarian agriculture has faced a downturn in recent decades. Local legume cultivars have lost favour with farmers and the canning industry, due to their low productivity in comparison with imported ones. Diseases and abiotic stresses are the most important factors limiting the production of edible legumes, costing farmers hundreds of euros in lost revenue each year. The overall objective of our ongoing bean mutation breeding programme was to enrich the gene pool of Phaseolus vulgaris L. and to develop genotypes resistant to Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli (Smith) (Xap) and Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. phaseolicola (Burkh.) (Psp) using EMS. An elite line and common cultivar (an heirloom and a snap bean type) in Bulgaria, were selected as parents and the chemical mutagen EMS was used for generating mutations. In total, 1000 seeds were treated and the two generated M1 populations were grown in the field. All M₂ mutant plants (1650 from initial line IP564 and 2420 from initial cultivar 'Mastilen 11b') were grown in field conditions and a number of phenotypic changes were observed on these mutated plants. They were also screened for Xap disease resistance via leaf artificial inoculation under greenhouse conditions. Individual plant selection was performed for the putatively resistant M₂ plants. In the M₃ generation these lines were screened using artificial inoculation with Xap and Psp pathogens (leaves and pods) under field conditions. Selected M₃-M₄ lines with confirmed disease resistance were tested for fresh pod quality. Yield tests were started in M₄ and M₅ generations and, according to their productivity performance, mutants were advanced to the M₆/M₇ generation for validation. The expression patterns of genes putatively involved in the resistance reactions towards two races of Psp were determined using qRT-PCR for the specific and reference genes. In conclusion, 50 plants with visible morphological changes and/or increased tolerance to the two targeted bacterial diseases were selected. A total of 20 advanced mutant bean lines are currently being evaluated for their competitiveness in multiple sites.

For Helen Smith, in “Embodying Early Modern Women’s Reading,” “the text enacts a physiological change” on the reader.1 In this essay, I should like to revise this statement to suggest that this “change” is actu-ally an exchange between text and body. The marginalia left behind by early modern readers are visible traces of their bodily imprints upon the text and suggest that by their reading, the text becomes an extension of the reader’s body. Such exchanges need not be limited only to such vis-ible marks. Recent scholarship has begun to study the often slightly less visible marks left behind by book users; Katherine Rudy’s work employs the use of a densitometer to examine these marks, which include oils from fingerprints, food stains, tears, and even blood stains that help to create a better idea of what parts of a text a reader read and how often that text was read.2 It is not just that “[t]he process of accessing the text was a cor-poreal one . . . impressing key content on the reader’s memory,” but that the text itself also becomes embodied, taking on features of its reader.3 Te x t and reader exchange properties. To say only that “[r]eaders’ bodies were molded and altered by the texts they read” is to ignore the other side of the equation.4 The reader is not only imprinted by the text but imprints the text itself (both literally and figuratively). The relationship between book and reader proves symbiotic, an example of facultative mutualism (where two entities are interdependent but not completely dependent upon each other), something, as I shall show, is illustrated perfectly in the figures of the Cardinal and his Bible in John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi. The Cardinal’s overpowering, poisonous character — he would be “able to possess the greatest devil, and make him worse”5— is both altered by his (mis)reading of the Bible and other religious texts (see 5.5.1–10), as well as being able to infect the book itself, allowing it to literally become poisonous, thereby killing Julia. In the play, the use of the book as murder weapon demonstrates how the boundary between book and body (of the reader) become blurred as both the permeability of the page and of the body is emphasized throughout the play.

The demand for natural, health-oriented food additives and components has increased, with plant-based foods rich in phytochemicals like phenolic compounds being beneficial for human health. Salvia species, the largest plant family in the Lamiaceae, contain over nine hundred species, including sage, which has numerous beneficial uses and biological properties. Sage extracts have shown antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, antitumor, anticholinesterase, antimicrobial, and liver-protective properties. S. officinalis L. has been suggested to have an anti-radical effect against uranium toxicity. Sage essential oil (EO) has antibacterial, antifungal, and free radical scavenging properties. S. miltiorrhiza has been given special attention for treating viral illnesses, with quinoone diterpenes being the most intriguing. Antioxidant activity evaluation techniques have evolved over the past decade, with chemical assays and novel detection technologies replacing earlier approaches. In vitro chemical tests, such as hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and single electron transfer (SET) procedures, are used to assess antioxidant capacity. Electron transfer (ET) assays measure antioxidant activity by transferring electrons and lower metallic ions, carbonyl groups, and free radicals. Mixed tests (HAT/SET) determine the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of a compound or extract. In vivo animal experiments are used to assess the antioxidant activity of natural extracts. Future research should focus on sage’s antioxidant properties, its mode of action, and the varying compositions of different species.

AbstractAn exponential increase in products containing titanium dioxide nanomaterials (TiO2), in agriculture, food and feed industry, lead to increased oral exposure to these nanomaterials (NMs). Thus, the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) emerges as a possible route of exposure that may drive systemic exposure, if the intestinal barrier is surpassed. NMs have been suggested to produce adverse outcomes, such as genotoxic effects, that are associated with increased risk of cancer, leading to a concern for public health. However, to date, the differences in the physicochemical characteristics of the NMs studied and other variables in the test systems have generated contradictory results in the literature. Processes like human digestion may change the NMs characteristics, inducing unexpected toxic effects in the intestine. Using TiO2 as case-study, this chapter provides a review of the works addressing the interactions of NMs with biological systems in the context of intestinal tract and digestion processes, at cellular and molecular level. The knowledge gaps identified suggest that the incorporation of a simulated digestion process for in vitro studies has the potential to improve the model for elucidating key events elicited by these NMs, advancing the nanosafety studies towards the development of an adverse outcome pathway for intestinal effects.

Rasterstereographic back shape measurement and analysis provide various shape parameters including pelvis tilt and torsion, trunk imbalance and the symmetry line of the back. In addition, estimates of the lateral deviation of the spinal midline and of vertebral rotation are given. In the case of leg length discrepancies all these parameters are generally affected. Theoretically, they are simultaneously minimised by optimum leg length compensation. The aptitude of the different parameters for assessing the optimum is tested in a sample of 50 patients with moderate scolioses. The test is performed by variation of foot elevation in the range of &amp;plusmn;2 cm. Examples and some preliminary results are presented.

The Aviation Development Directorate of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) conducted a drag test of a non-rotating 2/5 scale Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne main rotor hub in the U.S. Army 7- by 10-foot Wind Tunnel located at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA. The purpose of the test was to quantify the drag reduction on the Cheyenne's unique "door-hinge" style hub when the mechanical control gyro is removed, with the implicit assumption that the control and stabilization functions of the gyro could be replaced by a modern flight control system located somewhere within the aircraft’s outer mold line. The model was tested in a number of non-rotating configurations, orientations, and tunnel conditions. Baseline results compared favorably with historical drag measurements, and showed approximately a 50% reduction in hub drag with the gyro removed, with an additional 10% reduction due to rudimentary streamlining of the bluff outer hub arm.

In this talk, we discuss the use of micro spectrometers – as tiny optical sensors- with lab-grade performance for precision agriculture, food testing as well as healthcare applications. Showing how the small size, light weight and scalability of a MEMS based sensor enables in-field testing through hand-held and connected scanners. We will be showing the widespread use of applications and the positive impact in real life examples. Full-text article not available; see video presentation

Abstract Application of corrosion resistant, metallic liners in FGD plants has become an effective maintenance repair alternative. The entire 484 foot high stack of Cane Run 6 Station of Louisville Gas and Electric Company as been lined with Alloy C-276, UNS N10276, sheet material. Use of extra large sheets, 1/16 in. x 92 in. x 241 in. (1.6mm x 2.3m x 6.1m), was successful in reducing the amount of welding by nearly 50%. The special handling, positioning and welding techniques developed for these extra large sheets is described. Lap welds were used to attach the sheets to one another thus avoiding the potential for dilution of the weld metal from penetration into the existing carbon steel liner. Plug welds using prepunched holes in the C-276 were specified for added structural support but these welds expose diluted weld metal to the corrosive flue gas. Corrosion testing per ASTM procedures G48 and G28 verified that plug welds with acceptable pitting and intergranular corrosion resistance could be produced with proper welding techniques. Test sample plug welds produced with excessive penetration into the carbon steel were sufficiently diluted to have reduced corrosion resistance.

Abstract The food industry uses various corrosion resistant alloys (CRA’s) in the form of vessels, piping, mixers, etc. to process different types of foods. The physicochemical characteristics of processed foods permit various CRA grades depending on the type of food contents and its corrosivity (non-corrosive, mild, medium, and high corrosivity). Due to ease of availability and low cost 304 stainless steel (UNS S30400) is the most commonly used CRA in the food industry. If proper heat treatment is not performed on the 304 stainless steel food processing components, when subjected to low pH corrosive environments, the welds and heat affected zone (HAZ) show poor corrosion resistance. In this study, the corrosion resistance of 304 stainless steel weld metal in low pH environments, involving a high viscosity, low pH (3.6) “food product” and lime juice was investigated via electrochemical corrosion tests. A series of electrochemical linear polarization resistance (LPR) corrosion rate measurements of sensitized 304 weld and non-sensitized 304 and 316 stainless steel welds in the above-mentioned environments are performed at room temperature and 40°C to determine the general corrosion behavior and pitting corrosion resistance. Metallographic examination and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination of the tested welds were performed. Sensitized areas of 304 stainless steel showed higher corrosion rates and poor pitting resistance. The study demonstrated that a non-sensitized weld of food processing equipment is very important to prevent corrosion in low pH foods.

A large span X-style steel box arch bridge is under construction for a high speed railway line between Nanning and Guangzhou. A 1:8 scale model test of the arch foot for the bridge is described. Based on the two-step finite element (FE) analysis method using commercial software, a global FE model of the bridge and local FE model of arch foot are developed. Local stress distributions of the arch foot are obtained. Typical experimental stresses measured in the scale model are presented and compared against those obtained from FE analyses of different models. The results are used to provide recommendations for design of the bridge and other similar bridges.

Supersonic ejectors can be applied to capture low-pressure leakage gas from the gas seal vents of a centrifugal compressor. This captured gas can be re-injected into the fuel gas line of the gas turbine driver or the captured gas can be used as a fuel for gas fired utility heaters. By capturing the gas that is normally emitted to the atmosphere the operator can reduce operating cost and enjoy a reduction in hydrocarbon foot print. Because the supersonic ejector does not have moving parts, the system operating and maintenance costs are lower than functionally comparable traditional systems. In this study, a prototype of a supersonic ejector system was developed and tested at a pipeline compressor station. The obtained test data were used for developing and tuning a mean-line aerodynamic analysis tool, which predicts the ejector’s operating map. A family of three ejectors was designed to cover a range of operating conditions associated with gas turbine driven pipeline compressors. These ejectors were built, installed on a specially designed panel, described as the ejector system, and tested on inert gas at the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM’s) facility. A comparison of predicted and as-tested supersonic ejector performance maps is discussed and conclusions are made about the system operating range.

Purpose: Classical ballet, Slovakian folklore dance, and sport dance training differ in their way how to master the art of dance; however, postural control is essential for the correct exe-cution of complex movements used in all types of dance. The aim of this study was to analyse the differences in static postural control between classical ballet dancers, Slovakian folklore dancers and sport dancers and to analyse the effect of body mass, body height and toe grip strength on postural control. Methods: 68 dancers, between 17 to 28 years of age, participated in this study: 21 dancers from Slovakian folklore dance group VSLPT Poľana Brno (12 females, 9 males), 22 dancers from Brno Dance conservatory (16 females, 6 males) and 25 sport dancers competing at Brno Dance Open 2019 (12 females, 13 males). All participants were asked to stand upright, barefooted, arms along the body, both feet on the Emed-at platform (Novel GmbH, Germany) for 10 seconds with their eyes open to obtain the length of COP line (cm), average velocity of COP (cm/s), the elliptic area (mm2) and numerical eccentricity of the ellipse. The toe grip strength was measured for each foot when sitting using toe grip dynamometer (Takei Scien-tific Instruments, Niigata, Japan). To analyse the effect of dance style, to grip strength, body mass, body height, and gender on postural control variables, Kruskal Wallis test, and Spear-man Rank Order Correlation were used. Results: Abetter postural stability measured by the length and average velocity of COP was observed in sport dancers, compared to classical ballet and Slovakian folklore dancers. Sport dancers are used to a greater load on the forefoot and to a special foot roll-of pattern when dancing, which may lead together with a constantly changing environment during competi-tions to their enhanced postural stability. Despite the differences in dance training and dance footwear of female and male dancers (high-heel shoes in sport and Slovakian folklore female dancers, pointe shoes in female ballet dancers), no statistically significant difference in pos-tural variables between genders was observed. Similarly, in analysed dancers, no effect of age, body mass, and body weight on postural control were observed. The toe grip strength was not observed to affect the postural variables in this study. The greatest toe grip strength was observed in female ballet dancers, despite their younger age. Ballet dance training in-cludes repetitive exercises focused on foot and toes such as battement tendu or demi-pointe and en pointe positions probably resulting in the greater strength of the toes. Conclusion: In this study, better postural stability measured by the length and average ve-locity of COP was observed in sport dancers, compared to classical ballet and Slovakian folklore dancers. In analysed dancers, no effect of body mass, body weight, gender, and toe grip strength on postural control variables was observed. Future studies focused on postural stability changes in non-dancers after a sport dance, classical ballet and Slovakian folklore dance training program would provide additional knowledge about the process how each type of dance enhance the balance and other coordinative skills.

There are a number of design challenges facing mooring systems of floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) platforms in an offshore environment. Some unique aspects of the FOWT industry should be considered when examining applicability of established offshore mooring practices. Important among these are: economy and cost effectiveness; light weight minimal platforms; and water depths ranging from 50–300 m. A lighter displacement platform in shallow water, supported by lines with light to moderate pre-tension can result in a higher probability of slack line events and hence snap loads during re-engagement. Such loads can result in shock on the line material and considerably reduce the fatigue life. Such events have the potential to occur in various sea states, and not necessarily limited to extreme conditions. These conditions will be dependent on structure resonant motions, which are influenced by wind loads and moments, wave conditions and mooring line properties. Model tests of typical concepts for FOWT reported in literature have shown occasional slack line episodes. This paper is a review of literature on snap load occurrence in marine applications, including lifting and lowering operations, ROV and diving bell operations. This paper presents a case study of a FOWT. Special focus is on mooring systems which are affected by impact load conditions. Criteria are reviewed and consequences are documented.

In this paper we present an enhanced gait emulator and a novel hybrid control system to test powered ankle-foot prostheses with two degrees of freedom in the sagittal and frontal planes. The gait emulator is a nonlinear and non-smooth system that has to follow a precisely timed set of phases to achieve a human-like periodic gait. Despite the complexity and parameter uncertainties of this five degrees of freedom system, our proposed hybrid control system simplifies the walking control by use of state triggered kinematic events. The control system works in closed loop with kinematic event detection to ensure robust and repeatable walking tests as design parameters are varied. The developed gait emulator can be used to test the prosthesis under various loading conditions and walking speeds.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is the electronic or mechanical conversion of images of typed, handwritten, or printed text into machine-encoded text. Advanced systems are capable to produce a high degree of recognition accuracy for most technic fonts, but when it comes to handwritten forms there is a problem occur in recognizing certain characters and limitations with conventional OCR processes persist. It is most pronounced in ascenders (k, b, l, d, h, t) and descenders (g, j, p, q, y). If the characters are linked by ligatures, the ascending and descending strokes are even less recognizable to the scanners. In order to reduce the likelihood of a recognition error, it is a necessary to create a large database of stored characters and their glyphs. Feature extraction decomposes glyphs into features like lines, closed loops, line direction, and line intersections. A Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) neural network based on Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) algorithm as a method of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been used in text identification, classification and recognition using various methods: image pattern based, text-based, mark-based etc. Also, the application of AI generates of a large database of different letter cuts, and modifications, and variation of the same letter character structure. For this purpose, the recognizability test of handwritten fonts was performed. Within main group, subgroups of independent letter characters and letter characters linked by ligatures are created, and reading errors were observed. In each subgroup, four different font families (bold stroke, alternating stroke, monoline stroke, and brush stroke) were tested. In subgroup of independent letter characters, errors were observed in similar rounded lines such as the characters a, and e. In the subgroup of letter characters linked by ligatures, errors were also observed in similar rounded lines such as the letter characters a and e, m and n, but also in ascenders b and l, and descenders g and q. Furthermore, seven letter cuts were made from each basic test letters, and up to are thin, ultra-light, light, regular, semi-bold, bold, and ultra-bold, and stored in the existing EMNIST database. The scanning test was repeated, and recently obtained results showed a decrease in the deviation rate, i.e. higher accuracy. Reducing the number of deviations shows that the neural network gives acceptable answers but requires creation of a larger database within about 56,000 different characters.

To resolve the question as to whether or not ERW pipe might prove inferior to seamless pipe in terms of resistance to cyclic stresses, the PRCI member companies decided to fund the project described herein to assess the performance of ERW pipe versus seamless pipe. Presented herein are the results of a research project on the serviceability of seamless line pipe and modern high-frequency-welded ERW (electric-resistance-welded) line pipe. Full-scale samples of both kinds of pipe were subjected in a laboratory environment to pressure cycles simulating hundreds of years of service. Four samples of ERW pipe and one sample of seamless pipe were tested. Each sample consisted of a 20-foot length of the material fabricated with end caps. Coupons were cut from the remaining pieces to accommodate tensile and impact tests and base-metal metallography. The 20-foot specimens were subjected to pressure cycles ranging from a minimum of 100 psig to the pressure level corresponding to 46 percent of the measured ultimate tensile strength of the material.

The significant variety of properties and wide distribution of opiates and opioids in the modern pharmaceutical industry entail not only positive, but also negative consequences in people's lives. The constant search for new drugs entails the emergence of new substances with psychotropic effects. The widespread use of vinegar essence in the food industry, nitrogen oxides in agriculture, and the frequent appearance of carbon disulfide in everyday life create an increased risk to public health. Positional compression syndrome very often accompanies poisoning with psychotropic substances, which leads to a high risk of disability for victims or even death. This electronic educational resourse consists of seven theoretical educational modules: opioid poisoning, acute psychostimulant poisoning, vinegar essence poisoning, acute carbon monoxide poisoning, acute nitrogen oxide poisoning, acute hydrogen sulfide and carbon disulfide poisoning, positional compression syndrome. The theoretical block of modules is presented by presentations, the text of lectures with illustrations. Control classes in the form of test control accompany each theoretical module. After studying all modules, the student passes the final test control. Mastering the electronic educational resourse will ensure a high level of readiness to provide specialized toxicological care by doctors of various specialties.

This paper examines the causal link between early childhood nutrition and cognition, applying instrumental variables to sibling-differences for a sample of preschool aged Peruvian children. Child-specific shocks in the form of food price changes and household shocks during the critical developmental period of a child are used as instruments. The analysis shows significant and positive returns to early childhood nutritional investments. An increase in the Height-for-Age z-score of one standard deviation -keeping other factors constant- translates into increases in the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) score of 17-21 percent of a standard deviation. The period of analysis includes the recent global food price crisis that also affected Peru between 2006 and 2008. This therefore is also a quantification of the nutritional and subsequent cognitive costs of food prices on the sample, which could be magnified in later years.

The hypothalamic melanocortin system plays a central role in the regulation of food consumption and energy homeostasis in mammals. Accordingly, our working hypothesis in this project was that genetic editing of the mc4r gene, encoding Melanocortin Receptor 4 (MC4R), will enhance food consumption, feed efficiency and growth in fish. To test this hypothesis and to assess the utility of mc4r editing for the enhancement of feed efficiency and growth in fish, the following objectives were set: Test the effect of the mc4r-null allele on feeding behavior, growth, metabolism and survival in zebrafish. Generate mc4r-null alleles in tilapia and examine the consequences for growth and survival, feed efficiency and body composition. Generate and examine the effect of naturally-occurring mc4r alleles found in swordfish on feeding behavior, growth and survival in zebrafish. Define the MC4R-mediated and MC4R-independent effects of AgRP by crossing mc4r- null strains with fish lacking AgRP neurons or the agrpgene. Our results in zebrafish did not support our hypothesis. While knockout of the agrpgene or genetic ablation of hypothalamic AgRP neurons led to reduced food intake in zebrafish larvae, knockout (KO) of the mc4r gene not only did not increase the rate of food intake but even reduced it. Since Melanocortin Receptor 3 (MC3R) has also been proposed to be involved in hypothalamic control of food intake, we also tested the effectofmc3r gene KO. Again, contrary to our hypothesis, the rate of food intake decreased. The next step was to generate a double mutant lucking both functional MC3R and MC4R. Again, the double KO exhibited reduced food intake. Thus, the only manipulation within the melanocortin system that affected food intake in consistent with the expected role of the system was seen in zebrafish larvae upon agrpKO. Interestingly, despite the apparent reduced food intake in the larval stage, these fish grow to be of the same size as wildtype fish at the adult stage. Altogether, it seems that there is a compensatory mechanism that overrides the effect of genetic manipulations of the melanocortin system in zebrafish. Under Aim 3, we introduced the Xna1, XnB1l, and XnB2A mutations from the Xiphophorus MC4R alleles into the zebrafish MC4R gene. We hypothesized that these MC4R mutations would act as dominant negative alleles to increase growth by suppressing endogenous MC4R activity. When we examined the activity of the three mutant alleles, we were unable to document any inhibition of a co-transfected wild type MC4R allele, hence we did not introduce these alleles into zebrafish. Since teleost fish possess two agrpgenes we also tested the effect of KO of the agrp2 gene and ablation of the AgRP2 cells. We found that the AgRP2 system does not affect food consumption but may rather be involved in modulating the stress response. To try to apply genetic editing in farmed fish species we turned to tilapia. Injection of exogenous AgRP in adult tilapia induced significant changes in the expression of pituitary hormones. Genetic editing in tilapia is far more complicated than in zebrafish. Nevertheless, we managed to generate one mutant fish carrying a mutation in mc4r. That individual died before reaching sexual maturity. Thus, our attempt to generate an mc4r-mutant tilapia line was almost successful and indicate out non-obvious capability to generate mutant tilapia.

A growing body of research argues that early adverse experiences have lasting effects not only on later health outcomes, but also on human capital accumulation. This paper investigates the persistent effect of negative shocks early in life on children's health and cognitive outcomes, and explores whether shocks at certain periods matter more than others. The paper exploits the geographic intensity of extreme floods during the 1997-1998 El Niño phenomenon in Ecuador as a source of exogenous variation in children's exposure to a negative shock at different periods early in life. It is shown that children exposed to severe floods in utero, especially during the third trimester, are shorter in stature five and seven years later. Also, children affected by the floods in the first trimester of pregnancy score lower on cognitive tests. Potential mechanisms are explored by studying how exposure to the El Niño shock affected key inputs to the production of children's human capital: birth weight and family inputs (income, consumption, and breastfeeding). Children exposed to El Niño floods, especially during the third trimester in utero, were more likely to be born with low birth weight. Furthermore, households affected by El Niño 1997-98 suffered a decline in income, total consumption, and food consumption in the aftermath of the shock. Moreover, exposure to El Niño floods decreased the duration of exclusive breastfeeding and increased the duration of non-exclusive breastfeeding. Falsification exercises suggest that selection concerns such as selective fertility, mobility, and infant mortality do not drive these results.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly being integrated into people’s lives, reshaping industries, and enabling previously unimagined innovation, even in agriculture. Generative AI focuses on creating content like text and pictures based on vast quantities of data. ExtensionBot is a generative AI platform that supports agricultural extension by providing farmers with accurate scientific information and specific recommendations. It has been shown to deliver more accurate responses to agricultural questions than broader generative AI models. Other forms of AI have been used to analyze data to provide support for management decisions, such as in livestock monitoring, food traceability, genetic studies, and predicting weather and crop yield. Furthermore, AI is particularly adept at image analysis and can identify insects, weeds, and diseases. It has also been used to detect the quality of produce and allow machines to perceive the precise location of fruits for robotic picking. Many successful AI examples exist in agriculture, but numerous challenges prevent rapid development. These include the common incompatibility of agricultural data, the wide variability in agriculture that restricts the broad applicability of AI models, the common lack of connectivity in rural and agricultural areas, concerns about the privacy of agricultural data, the resistance to change in the agricultural industry, the lack of an AI-skilled workforce, and high adoption costs for AI technologies. Furthermore, there is fear about how AI will affect the agricultural community’s ability to maintain human knowledge and skill in agriculture. Cybersecurity is another concern, particularly as autonomous machines begin to emerge, facilitated by AI. If robots perform agricultural tasks, what happens when they are hacked or fail, and a human is not available to solve the immediate problem? Additionally, the advancement of AI in agriculture affects humans in multiple ways. First, it affects the work that agricultural workers perform and how that work is done. Ideally, workers will have input into the design of AI tools to ensure these tools improve their efficiency and safety in daily tasks as well as their overall work experience. Consumers of agricultural products also have a stake in AI for agriculture, as it can improve food safety, nutrition, and health. There are also particular ethical concerns about the advancement of AI in agriculture. For example, the data aggregation of numerous farms can have disadvantages for small and low-income farms. More research is needed to develop AI for agriculture in ways that are mindful of the many challenges. If resources for research on AI in agriculture are unavailable, innovation will be reduced, and collaboration will be hindered in its development. Researchers may end up competing for tightly limited funds rather than sharing knowledge. For the U.S. to lead the world in developing AI for agriculture, it must promote innovation, industry competition, interdisciplinary collaboration, and appropriate standards to ensure big data and AI are used responsibly and contribute to efficient and resilient agriculture and food systems. We recommend that policymakers focus on AI in agriculture to create an enabling environment for its development, to ensure adequate resources are available for research, to facilitate opportunities for workforce development, to enable guidelines leading to its adoption, to foster a regulatory framework that protects agricultural data, to ensure wide-ranging benefits to various scales and income levels of farms, to provide for cybersecurity, and to promote the development of standards to ensure AI systems in agriculture are safe, efficient, reliable, and ethical. AI has immense potential to enable the next step change in agriculture, and initiatives should be formed to position the U.S. as the global leader in agricultural AI, driving economic growth, ensuring food security and food safety, and promoting ethical practices that lead to environmental stewardship.

The emergence of food-borne illness outbreaks linked to the contamination of fruits and vegetables is a great concern in industrialized countries. The current lack of control measures and effective sanitization methods prompt the need for new strategies to reduce contamination of produce. Our ability to assess the risk associated with produce contamination and to devise innovative control strategies depends on the identification of critical determinants that affect the growth and the persistence of human pathogens on plants. Salmonella enterica, a common causal agent of illness linked to produce, has the ability to colonize and persist on plants. Thus, our main objective was to identify plant-inducible genes that have a role in the growth and/or persistence of S. enterica on postharvest lettuce. Our findings suggest that in-vitro biofilm formation tests may provide a suitable model to predict the initial attachment of Salmonella to cut-romaine lettuce leaves and confirm that Salmonella could persist on lettuce during shelf-life storage. Importantly, we found that Salmonella association with lettuce increases its acid-tolerance, a trait which might be correlated with an enhanced ability of the pathogen to pass through the acidic barrier of the stomach. We have demonstrated that Salmonella can internalize leaves of iceberg lettuce through open stomata. We found for the first time that internalization is an active bacterial process mediated by chemotaxis and motility toward nutrient produced in the leaf by photosynthesis. These findings may provide a partial explanation for the failure of sanitizers to efficiently eradicate foodborne pathogens in leafy greens and may point to a novel mechanism utilized by foodborne and perhaps plant pathogens to colonize leaves. Using resolvase in vivo expression technology (RIVET) we have managed to identify multiple Salmonella genes, some of which with no assigned function, which are involved in attachment to and persistence of Salmonella on lettuce leaves. The precise function of these genes in Salmonella-leaf interactions is yet to be elucidated. Taken together, our findings have advanced the understanding of how Salmonella persist in the plant environment, as well as the potential consequences upon ingestion by human. The emerging knowledge opens new research directions which should ultimately be useful in developing new strategies and approaches to reduce leaf contamination and enhance the safety of fresh produce.

The long-term goal of this research is to understand how pollen cope with stress, and identify genes that can be manipulated in crop plants to improve reproductive success during heat stress. The specific aims were to: 1) Compare heat stress dependent changes in gene expression between wild type pollen, and mutants in which pollen are heat sensitive (cngc16) or heat tolerant (apx2-1). 2) Compare cngc16 and apx2 mutants for differences in heat-stress triggered changes in ROS, cNMP, and Ca²⁺ transients. 3) Expand a mutant screen for pollen with increased or decreased thermo-tolerance. These aims were designed to provide novel and fundamental advances to our understanding of stress tolerance in pollen reproductive development, and enable research aimed at improving crop plants to be more productive under conditions of heat stress. Background: Each year crop yields are severely impacted by a variety of stress conditions, including heat, cold, drought, hypoxia, and salt. Reproductive development in flowering plants is highly sensitive to hot or cold temperatures, with even a single hot day or cold night sometimes being fatal to reproductive success. In many plants, pollen tube development and fertilization is often the weakest link. Current speculation about global climate change is that most agricultural regions will experience more extreme environmental fluctuations. With the human food supply largely dependent on seeds, it is critical that we consider ways to improve stress tolerance during fertilization. The heat stress response (HSR) has been intensively studied in vegetative tissues, but is poorly understood during reproductive development. A general paradigm is that HS is accompanied by increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induction of ROS-scavenging enzymes to protect cells from excess oxidative damage. The activation of the HSR has been linked to cytosolic Ca²⁺ signals, and transcriptional and translational responses, including the increased expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) and antioxidative pathways. The focus of the proposed research was on two mutations, which have been discovered in a collaboration between the Harper and Miller labs, that either increase or decrease reproductive stress tolerance in a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana (i.e., cngc16--cyclic nucleotide gated channel 16, apx2-1--ascorbate peroxidase 2,). Major conclusions, solutions, achievements. Using RNA-seq technology, the expression profiles of cngc16 and apx2 pollen grains were independently compared to wild type under favourable conditions and following HS. In comparison to a wild type HSR, there were 2,776 differences in the transcriptome response in cngc16 pollen, consistent with a model in which this heat-sensitive mutant fails to enact or maintain a normal wild-type HSR. In a comparison with apx2 pollen, there were 900 differences in the HSR. Some portion of these 900 differences might contribute to an improved HSR in apx2 pollen. Twenty-seven and 42 transcription factor changes, in cngc16 and apx2-1, respectively, were identified that could provide unique contributions to a pollen HSR. While we found that the functional HS-dependent reprogramming of the pollen transcriptome requires specific activity of CNGC16, we identified in apx2 specific activation of flavonol-biosynthesis pathway and auxin signalling that support a role in pollen thermotolerance. Results from this study have identified metabolic pathways and candidate genes of potential use in improving HS tolerance in pollen. Additionally, we developed new FACS-based methodology that can quantify the stress response for individual pollen in a high-throughput fashion. This technology is being adapted for biological screening of crop plant’s pollen to identify novel thermotolerance traits. Implications, both scientific and agricultural. This study has provided a reference data on the pollen HSR from a model plant, and supports a model that the HSR in pollen has many differences compared to vegetative cells. This provides an important foundation for understanding and improving the pollen HSR, and therefor contributes to the long-term goal of improving productivity in crop plants subjected to temperature stress conditions. A specific hypothesis that has emerged from this study is that pollen thermotolerance can be improved by increasing flavonol accumulation before or during a stress response. Efforts to test this hypothesis have been initiated, and if successful have the potential for application with major seed crops such as maize and rice.

Banco de la República is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2023. This is a very significant anniversary and one that provides an opportunity to highlight the contribution the Bank has made to the country’s development. Its track record as guarantor of monetary stability has established it as the one independent state institution that generates the greatest confidence among Colombians due to its transparency, management capabilities, and effective compliance with the central banking and cultural responsibilities entrusted to it by the Constitution and the Law. On a date as important as this, the Board of Directors of Banco de la República (BDBR) pays tribute to the generations of governors and officers whose commitment and dedication have contributed to the growth of this institution.1 Banco de la República’s mandate was confirmed in the National Constitutional Assembly of 1991 where the citizens had the opportunity to elect the seventy people who would have the task of drafting a new constitution. The leaders of the three political movements with the most votes were elected as chairs to the Assembly, and this tripartite presidency reflected the plurality and the need for consensus among the different political groups to move the reform forward. Among the issues considered, the National Constitutional Assembly gave special importance to monetary stability. That is why they decided to include central banking and to provide Banco de la República with the necessary autonomy to use the instruments for which they are responsible without interference from other authorities. The constituent members understood that ensuring price stability is a state duty and that the entity responsible for this task must be enshrined in the Constitution and have the technical capability and institutional autonomy necessary to adopt the decisions they deem appropriate to achieve this fundamental objective in coordination with the general economic policy. In particular, Article 373 established that “the State, through Banco de la República, shall ensure the maintenance of the purchasing power of the currency,” a provision that coincided with the central banking system adopted by countries that have been successful in controlling inflation. In 1999, in Ruling 481, the Constitutional Court stated that “the duty to maintain the purchasing power of the currency applies to not only the monetary, credit, and exchange authority, i.e., the Board of Banco de la República, but also those who have responsibilities in the formulation and implementation of the general economic policy of the country” and that “the basic constitutional purpose of Banco de la República is the protection of a sound currency. However, this authority must take the other economic objectives of state intervention such as full employment into consideration in their decisions since these functions must be coordinated with the general economic policy.” The reforms to Banco de la República agreed upon in the Constitutional Assembly of 1991 and in Act 31/1992 can be summarized in the following aspects: i) the Bank was assigned a specific mandate: to maintain the purchasing power of the currency in coordination with the general economic policy; ii) the BDBR was designatedas the monetary, foreign exchange, and credit authority; iii) the Bank and its Board of Directors were granted a significant degree of independence from the government; iv) the Bank was prohibited from granting credit to the private sector except in the case of the financial sector; v) established that in order to grant credit to the government, the unanimous vote of its Board of Directors was required except in the case of open market transactions; vi) determined that the legislature may, in no case, order credit quotas in favor of the State or individuals; vii) Congress was appointed, on behalf of society, as the main addressee of the Bank’s reporting exercise; and viii) the responsibility for inspection, surveillance, and control over Banco de la República was delegated to the President of the Republic. The members of the National Constitutional Assembly clearly understood that the benefits of low and stable inflation extend to the whole of society and contribute mto the smooth functioning of the economic system. Among the most important of these is that low inflation promotes the efficient use of productive resources by allowing relative prices to better guide the allocation of resources since this promotes economic growth and increases the welfare of the population. Likewise, low inflation reduces uncertainty about the expected return on investment and future asset prices. This increases the confidence of economic agents, facilitates long-term financing, and stimulates investment. Since the low-income population is unable to protect itself from inflation by diversifying its assets, and a high proportion of its income is concentrated in the purchase of food and other basic goods that are generally the most affected by inflationary shocks, low inflation avoids arbitrary redistribution of income and wealth.2 Moreover, low inflation facilitates wage negotiations, creates a good labor climate, and reduces the volatility of employment levels. Finally, low inflation helps to make the tax system more transparent and equitable by avoiding the distortions that inflation introduces into the value of assets and income that make up the tax base. From the monetary authority’s point of view, one of the most relevant benefits of low inflation is the credibility that economic agents acquire in inflation targeting, which turns it into an effective nominal anchor on price levels. Upon receiving its mandate, and using its autonomy, Banco de la República began to announce specific annual inflation targets as of 1992. Although the proposed inflation targets were not met precisely during this first stage, a downward trend in inflation was achieved that took it from 32.4% in 1990 to 16.7% in 1998. At that time, the exchange rate was kept within a band. This limited the effectiveness of monetary policy, which simultaneously sought to meet an inflation target and an exchange rate target. The Asian crisis spread to emerging economies and significantly affected the Colombian economy. The exchange rate came under strong pressure to depreciate as access to foreign financing was cut off under conditions of a high foreign imbalance. This, together with the lack of exchange rate flexibility, prevented a countercyclical monetary policy and led to a 4.2% contraction in GDP that year. In this context of economic slowdown, annual inflation fell to 9.2% at the end of 1999, thus falling below the 15% target set for that year. This episode fully revealed how costly it could be, in terms of economic activity, to have inflation and exchange rate targets simultaneously. Towards the end of 1999, Banco de la República announced the adoption of a new monetary policy regime called the Inflation Targeting Plan. This regime, known internationally as ‘Inflation Targeting,’ has been gaining increasing acceptance in developed countries, having been adopted in 1991 by New Zealand, Canada, and England, among others, and has achieved significant advances in the management of inflation without incurring costs in terms of economic activity. In Latin America, Brazil and Chile also adopted it in 1999. In the case of Colombia, the last remaining requirement to be fulfilled in order to adopt said policy was exchange rate flexibility. This was realized around September 1999, when the BDBR decided to abandon the exchange-rate bands to allow the exchange rate to be freely determined in the market.Consistent with the constitutional mandate, the fundamental objective of this new policy approach was “the achievement of an inflation target that contributes to maintaining output growth around its potential.”3 This potential capacity was understood as the GDP growth that the economy can obtain if it fully utilizes its productive resources. To meet this objective, monetary policy must of necessity play a countercyclical role in the economy. This is because when economic activity is below its potential and there are idle resources, the monetary authority can reduce the interest rate in the absence of inflationary pressure to stimulate the economy and, when output exceeds its potential capacity, raise it. This policy principle, which is immersed in the models for guiding the monetary policy stance, makes the following two objectives fully compatible in the medium term: meeting the inflation target and achieving a level of economic activity that is consistent with its productive capacity. To achieve this purpose, the inflation targeting system uses the money market interest rate (at which the central bank supplies primary liquidity to commercial banks) as the primary policy instrument. This replaced the quantity of money as an intermediate monetary policy target that Banco de la República, like several other central banks, had used for a long time. In the case of Colombia, the objective of the new monetary policy approach implied, in practical terms, that the recovery of the economy after the 1999 contraction should be achieved while complying with the decreasing inflation targets established by the BDBR. The accomplishment of this purpose was remarkable. In the first half of the first decade of the 2000s, economic activity recovered significantly and reached a growth rate of 6.8% in 2006. Meanwhile, inflation gradually declined in line with inflation targets. That was how the inflation rate went from 9.2% in 1999 to 4.5% in 2006, thus meeting the inflation target established for that year while GDP reached its potential level. After this balance was achieved in 2006, inflation rebounded to 5.7% in 2007, above the 4.0% target for that year due to the fact that the 7.5% GDP growth exceeded the potential capacity of the economy.4 After proving the effectiveness of the inflation targeting system in its first years of operation, this policy regime continued to consolidate as the BDBR and the technical staff gained experience in its management and state-of-the-art economic models were incorporated to diagnose the present and future state of the economy and to assess the persistence of inflation deviations and expectations with respect to the inflation target. Beginning in 2010, the BDBR established the long-term 3.0% annual inflation target, which remains in effect today. Lower inflation has contributed to making the macroeconomic environment more stable, and this has favored sustained economic growth, financial stability, capital market development, and the functioning of payment systems. As a result, reductions in the inflationary risk premia and lower TES and credit interest rates were achieved. At the same time, the duration of public domestic debt increased significantly going from 2.27 years in December 2002 to 5.86 years in December 2022, and financial deepening, measured as the level of the portfolio as a percentage of GDP, went from around 20% in the mid-1990s to values above 45% in recent years in a healthy context for credit institutions.Having been granted autonomy by the Constitution to fulfill the mandate of preserving the purchasing power of the currency, the tangible achievements made by Banco de la República in managing inflation together with the significant benefits derived from the process of bringing inflation to its long-term target, make the BDBR’s current challenge to return inflation to the 3.0% target even more demanding and pressing. As is well known, starting in 2021, and especially in 2022, inflation in Colombia once again became a serious economic problem with high welfare costs. The inflationary phenomenon has not been exclusive to Colombia and many other developed and emerging countries have seen their inflation rates move away from the targets proposed by their central banks.5 The reasons for this phenomenon have been analyzed in recent Reports to Congress, and this new edition delves deeper into the subject with updated information. The solid institutional and technical base that supports the inflation targeting approach under which the monetary policy strategy operates gives the BDBR the necessary elements to face this difficult challenge with confidence. In this regard, the BDBR reiterated its commitment to the 3.0% inflation target in its November 25 communiqué and expects it to be reached by the end of 2024.6 Monetary policy will continue to focus on meeting this objective while ensuring the sustainability of economic activity, as mandated by the Constitution. Analyst surveys done in March showed a significant increase (from 32.3% in January to 48.5% in March) in the percentage of responses placing inflation expectations two years or more ahead in a range between 3.0% and 4.0%. This is a clear indication of the recovery of credibility in the medium-term inflation target and is consistent with the BDBR’s announcement made in November 2022. The moderation of the upward trend in inflation seen in January, and especially in February, will help to reinforce this revision of inflation expectations and will help to meet the proposed targets. After reaching 5.6% at the end of 2021, inflation maintained an upward trend throughout 2022 due to inflationary pressures from both external sources, associated with the aftermath of the pandemic and the consequences of the war in Ukraine, and domestic sources, resulting from: strengthening of local demand; price indexation processes stimulated by the increase in inflation expectations; the impact on food production caused by the mid-2021 strike; and the pass-through of depreciation to prices. The 10% increase in the minimum wage in 2021 and the 16% increase in 2022, both of which exceeded the actual inflation and the increase in productivity, accentuated the indexation processes by establishing a high nominal adjustment benchmark. Thus, total inflation went to 13.1% by the end of 2022. The annual change in food prices, which went from 17.2% to 27.8% between those two years, was the most influential factor in the surge in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Another segment that contributed significantly to price increases was regulated products, which saw the annual change go from 7.1% in December 2021 to 11.8% by the end of 2022. The measure of core inflation excluding food and regulated items, in turn, went from 2.5% to 9.5% between the end of 2021 and the end of 2022. The substantial increase in core inflation shows that inflationary pressure has spread to most of the items in the household basket, which is characteristic of inflationary processes with generalized price indexation as is the case in Colombia. Monetary policy began to react early to this inflationary pressure. Thus, starting with its September 2021 session, the BDBR began a progressive change in the monetary policy stance moving away from the historical low of a 1.75% policy rate that had intended to stimulate the recovery of the economy. This adjustment process continued without interruption throughout 2022 and into the beginning of 2023 when the monetary policy rate reached 12.75% last January, thus accumulating an increase of 11 percentage points (pp). The public and the markets have been surprised that inflation continued to rise despite significant interest rate increases. However, as the BDBR has explained in its various communiqués, monetary policy works with a lag. Just as in 2022 economic activity recovered to a level above the pre-pandemic level, driven, along with other factors, by the monetary stimulus granted during the pandemic period and subsequent months, so too the effects of the current restrictive monetary policy will gradually take effect. This will allow us to expect the inflation rate to converge to 3.0% by the end of 2024 as is the BDBR’s purpose.Inflation results for January and February of this year showed declining marginal increases (13 bp and 3 bp respectively) compared to the change seen in December (59 bp). This suggests that a turning point in the inflation trend is approaching. In other Latin American countries such as Chile, Brazil, Perú, and Mexico, inflation has peaked and has begun to decline slowly, albeit with some ups and downs. It is to be expected that a similar process will take place in Colombia in the coming months. The expected decline in inflation in 2023 will be due, along with other factors, to lower cost pressure from abroad as a result of the gradual normalization of supply chains, the overcoming of supply shocks caused by the weather, and road blockades in previous years. This will be reflected in lower adjustments in food prices, as has already been seen in the first two months of the year and, of course, the lagged effect of monetary policy. The process of inflation convergence to the target will be gradual and will extend beyond 2023. This process will be facilitated if devaluation pressure is reversed. To this end, it is essential to continue consolidating fiscal sustainability and avoid messages on different public policy fronts that generate uncertainty and distrust. 1 This Report to Congress includes Box 1, which summarizes the trajectory of Banco de la República over the past 100 years. In addition, under the Bank’s auspices, several books that delve into various aspects of the history of this institution have been published in recent years. See, for example: Historia del Banco de la República 1923-2015; Tres banqueros centrales; Junta Directiva del Banco de la República: grandes episodios en 30 años de historia; Banco de la República: 90 años de la banca central en Colombia. 2 This is why lower inflation has been reflected in a reduction of income inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient that went from 58.7 in 1998 to 51.3 in the year prior to the pandemic. 3 See Gómez Javier, Uribe José Darío, Vargas Hernando (2002). “The Implementation of Inflation Targeting in Colombia”. Borradores de Economía, No. 202, March, available at: https://repositorio.banrep.gov.co/handle/20.500.12134/5220 4 See López-Enciso Enrique A.; Vargas-Herrera Hernando and Rodríguez-Niño Norberto (2016). “The inflation targeting strategy in Colombia. An historical view.” Borradores de Economía, No. 952. https://repositorio.banrep.gov.co/handle/20.500.12134/6263 5 According to the IMF, the percentage change in consumer prices between 2021 and 2022 went from 3.1% to 7.3% for advanced economies, and from 5.9% to 9.9% for emerging market and developing economies. 6 https://www.banrep.gov.co/es/noticias/junta-directiva-banco-republica-reitera-meta-inflacion-3