Academic literature on the topic 'PID control action'

The purpose of this research is to control a quarter car suspension system and also to reduce the fluctuated movement caused by passing thevehicle over road bump using modified PID (Proportional Integral and Derivative) controller. The proposed controller deals with dual loopfeedback signals instead of single feedback signal as in the conventional PID controller. The structure of the modified PID controller wascreated by moving the proportional and derivative actions in the feedback path while remaining the integral action in the forward path. Thus,high accuracy results were obtained. Firstly, modelling and simulation of linear passive suspension system for a quarter car system wasperformed using Matlab – Simulink software. Then the linear suspension system was activated and simulated by using an active hydraulicactuator to generate the necessary force which can be regulated and controlled by the proposed controller. The performance of whole systemhas been enhanced with a modified PID controller.

Abstract. In a commercial greenhouse, variables, such as temperature and humidity, should be controlled with minimal human intervention. A systematically designed climate control system can enhance the yield of commercial greenhouses. This study aims to formulate a nonlinear multivariable transfer function model of the greenhouse model using thermodynamic laws by taking into account the variables that affect the Greenhouse Climate Control System. To control its parameters, Mamdani model-based Fuzzy PID is designed which is compared with the performance of proportional-integral (PI) and proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers to achieve a smooth control action. The Fuzzy logic based PID provides robust control actions eliminating the need for conventional tuning methods. The robustness analysis is performed using values obtained from real-time implementation for the greenhouse model for Fuzzy based PID, PI and PID controllers by minimizing the Integral Absolute Error (IAE) and Integral Square Error (ISE). The greenhouse model has strong interactions between its parameters, which are removed by Relative Gain Array (RGA) analysis, thereby providing an effective control strategy for complex greenhouse production. Further, the stability analysis of non-linear greenhouse model is conducted with the help of the bode plot and Nyquist plot. Results show that good control performance can be achieved by tuning the gain parameters of controllers via step responses such as small overshoot, fast settling time, less rise time, and steady-state error. Also, smoother control action was obtained with Fuzzy based PID making the Greenhouse Climate Control System stable.

Nowadays, quadcopter motion control has become a popular research topic because of its versatile ability as an unmanned aircraft can be used to alleviate human labor and also be able to reach dangerous areas or areas which is unreachable to humans. On the other hand, the Optimal PID control method, which incorporates PID and Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control methods, has also been widely used in industry and research field because it has advantages that are easy to operate, easy design, and a good level of precision. In the PID control method, the main problem to be solved is the accuracy of the gain value Kp, Ki, and Kd because the inappropriateness of those value will result in an imprecise control action. Based on these problems and referring to the previous study, the optimal PID control method was developed by using PID controller structure with tuning gain parameter of PID through Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) method. Through the integration of these two control methods, the optimum solutions can be obtained: easier controller design process for quadcopter control when crossing the determined trajectories, steady state error values less than 5% and a stable quadcopter movement with roll and pitch angle stabilization at position 0 radians with minimum energy function.

This paper presents an analysis of the continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) temperature control with the Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) Controller, Model Predictive Controller (MPC) and Hybrid-Model Predictive Controller-Proportional Integral Derivative Controller (MPC-PID). It is the main goal of this project to find a suitable improvement strategy for the system’s stability and accuracy to be more stable. By creating a model, the control system is implemented for all the above mentioned control methods and so comparative analysis is carried out to find the best control method for CSTR. Simulation data inspector is used to compare the performance of different types of control systems: PID, MPC and MPC-PID. It has been observed that the hybrid MPC-PID has a more effective control action than a PID controller; with some tuning, the MPC controller can maintain the temperature within a reference or set point range. The control and simulation toolbox is used to construct the model predictive control method in LabVIEW platform. The performance of controllers is measured in terms of settling time, rise time and percentage of overshoot. Finally, a comparative overview of PID, MPC and Hybrid MPC-PID controllers on system performance is presented and discussed.

In order to ensure the stability of ROV, a corresponding control method must be adopted to realize the stable control of ROV. According to the joint action of multiple parameters, a bow motion control method based on multiple parameters is proposed, and the method is simulated and studied; the transfer function is derived. Then, using the theoretical study of PID control and fuzzy PID control, a fuzzy PID controller was constructed in the MATLAB Simulink library and simulated and tested, and the control effects of the PID controller and the fuzzy PID controller were compared, and it can be seen from the results of the simulation and test that the fuzzy PID control is better than the PID control under bow motion control and the overshoot of adjustment is less. The adjustment time is shorter, and the longitudinal control in the horizontal direction shows good stability and anti-interference.

The nonlinear effect in the control system is so important and it may have a hard or soft effect on the electrical, mechanical, biological, and many other systems. This paper analyzes the describing function (DF) which is the transfer function of the nonlinear (NL) control systems of many NL elements found such as saturation, and backlash. The effect of the NL on the third-order delayed system is considered. The PID controller is considered the heart of the control system and continuously finds the error between input and output, and formulates the desired signal for the actuator to control the plant. Experimental tanning of PID controller with the saturation NL as a case study with buffer Operation Amplifier (Op-Amp) to maintain the gain and phase shift. In addition, a low pass filter (LPF) is used in the feedback to minimize and attenuate the effect of the NL in the closed-loop control system. The Fourier series is used to analyze the DF. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

According to the time-varying and nonlinear characteristics of fluid, this paper puts forward a design scheme of real-time and accurate control of the liquid flow. The control system which taking the programmable logic controller (PLC) as the platform and using the PID control algorithm is composed with the touch screen, electromagnetic flow meter, temperature sensor, electric regulating valve system and so on. And the PID algorithm based on PLC design has carried on the analysis, simulation and optimization. The results show that PID algorithm is designed using this method with a strong and more precise control of the scheme. It is not only suitable for the flow control, changes in action after the equipment is also applicable to analog volume control temperature, liquid level, velocity, height etc.

Abstract With the development of automatic control in the HVAC industry, more and more buildings have adopted automatic control of air conditioning, HVAC systems, but most of the control results can not be satisfactory. The research object of this paper is the elevator machine room equipped HVAC, through accurate control of that room temperature can greatly reduce the elevator shutdown caused by the action of the temperature protection circuit, so as to improve the safety of elevator operation. This paper gives three different temperature control methods, establishes the math representation of the temperature system in the machine room, specifically designs the classical PID controllers, Fuzzy PID controllers and variable domain Fuzzy PID controller, and simulates and analyzes the three algorithms respectively, The results indicate that in comparing the above three algorithms, the variable domain fuzzy PID algorithm has an adjustment time of 63s, and the overshooting amount of 0.4%, which is the best among the three control algorithms.

Abstract - Control and monitoring of the rotational speed of a wheel (DC motor) in a process system is very important role in the implementation of the industry. PWM control and monitoring for wheel rotational speed on a pair of DC motors uses computer interface devices where in the industry this is needed to facilitate operators in controlling and monitoring motor speed. In order to obtain the best controller, tuning the Integral Derifative (PID) controller parameter is done. In this tuning we can know the value of proportional gain (Kp), integral time (Ti) and derivative time (Td). The PID controller will give action to the DC motor control based on the error obtained, the desired DC motor rotation value is called the set point. LabVIEW software is used as a PE monitor, motor speed control. Keyword : LabView, Motor DC, Arduino, LabView, PID.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-08-11Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:55:43Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 guirao_phf_me_ilha.pdf: 1687835 bytes, checksum: 03fd61b5a3923d210d53985b49bab6bd (MD5)<br>Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)<br>Neste trabalho apresenta-se uma análise teórica do desempenho de um sistema de controle ativo de vibrações de rotores utilizando mancais magnéticos. Trata-se de uma alternativa de controle ativo de vibrações de rotores onde um sistema adaptativo feedforward é empregado sobreposto ao sistema de controle feedback dos mancais magnéticos. O desempenho de algumas arquiteturas de controle, tanto em termos de vibração global como em vibração local do rotor, foi analisado dando ênfase na variação do ganho proporcional e derivativo do controlador PID, que compõe o circuito de controle do mancal magnético ativo. Também foi analisado o efeito da posição e do número de sensores de erro, bem como o efeito do mancal atuador utilizado, sobre o desempenho das estratégias de controle. O sistema de controle foi aplicado em um modelo teórico de rotor desenvolvido pelo método da matriz de impedância.<br>In this work a theoretical analysis of the performance of a system which actively controls vibrations of rotors using magnetic bearings is presented. The proposed system of control is an alternative of active control of rotor vibrations in which an adaptive feedforward system superimposed on the feedback control system of the magnetic bearings is used. The performance of some control architectures was analyzed, in terms of global vibration as in terms of local vibration of the rotor, giving emphasis in the variation of the proportional and derivative gain of the PID controller of the control circuit of the active magnetic bearings. Furthermore, the performance of the vibration control system was analyzed considering the effect of the number and position of the error sensors, as well as the effect of the magnetic bearing employed as actuator. The control system was applied in a theoretical rotor model developed by the matrix impedance method.

Orientador: Luiz de Paula do Nascimento<br>Banca: João Antonio Pereira<br>Banca: Kátia Luchese Cavalca Dedini<br>Resumo: Neste trabalho apresenta-se uma análise teórica do desempenho de um sistema de controle ativo de vibrações de rotores utilizando mancais magnéticos. Trata-se de uma alternativa de controle ativo de vibrações de rotores onde um sistema adaptativo "feedforward" é empregado sobreposto ao sistema de controle "feedback" dos mancais magnéticos. O desempenho de algumas arquiteturas de controle, tanto em termos de vibração global como em vibração local do rotor, foi analisado dando ênfase na variação do ganho proporcional e derivativo do controlador PID, que compõe o circuito de controle do mancal magnético ativo. Também foi analisado o efeito da posição e do número de sensores de erro, bem como o efeito do mancal atuador utilizado, sobre o desempenho das estratégias de controle. O sistema de controle foi aplicado em um modelo teórico de rotor desenvolvido pelo método da matriz de impedância.<br>Abstract: In this work a theoretical analysis of the performance of a system which actively controls vibrations of rotors using magnetic bearings is presented. The proposed system of control is an alternative of active control of rotor vibrations in which an adaptive feedforward system superimposed on the feedback control system of the magnetic bearings is used. The performance of some control architectures was analyzed, in terms of global vibration as in terms of local vibration of the rotor, giving emphasis in the variation of the proportional and derivative gain of the PID controller of the control circuit of the active magnetic bearings. Furthermore, the performance of the vibration control system was analyzed considering the effect of the number and position of the error sensors, as well as the effect of the magnetic bearing employed as actuator. The control system was applied in a theoretical rotor model developed by the matrix impedance method.<br>Mestre

A utilização de sistemas de controle para estabilidade de conjuntos de barras para pulverizadores agrícolas é uma tendência devida principalmente aos problemas ambientais e de custo. Neste trabalho, o comportamento dinâmico de um pulverizador de arrasto é analisado através de um modelo não linear, obtido através de técnicas de modelagem de sistemas multicorpos utilizando-se o programa ADAMS. Foram utilizadas duas estratégias de controle PID e \"fuzzy\" a partir de medidas obtidas com fusão de sensores. A estratégia de controle clássica PID foi desenvolvida e implementada no modelo não linear no ADAMS através de ferramentas internas existentes no programa. Já a estratégia \"fuzzy\" foi desenvolvida e implementada no modelo não linear no ADAMS através da técnica de co-simulação ADAMS/Matlab. O comportamento dos sistemas de controle foi investigado através de simulação computacional. Foram testados alguns tipos de entradas (entrada degrau, entrada harmônica, entrada randômica e entrada randômica com descontinuidades bruscas). Em todas as simulações os resultados obtidos com os sistemas de controles ativos mostraram melhor estabilidade do conjunto de barras. Entre as leis de controle implementadas (PID e \"fuzzy\") não houve grandes diferenças entre as oscilações da barra exceto na entrada do tipo randômica com descontinuidades bruscas. Neste caso a lei de controle \"fuzzy\" apresentou uma grande melhoria com boa atenuação das oscilações do conjunto de barras quando comparadas com a aplicação do sistema de controle PID.<br>The use of active control systems for stability of booms in agricultural sprayers trend is mainly due to the environmental and costs question. In this work, the dynamic behavior of a trailed sprayer is analyzed using a nonlinear model, obtained through techniques of modeling multibody systems using the ADAMS. It is used two active control strategies, PID classical control and fuzzy, with measured data from sensor fusion. The classical PID control strategy was developed and implemented in a nonlinear model on ADAMS software using existing tools built into the program. Fuzzy was another strategy developed and implemented in the nonlinear model on ADAMS software using a technique of co-simulation ADAMS/Matlab. The behavior of control systems was investigated through computer simulation. It was tested some types of inputs (step input, harmonic input, random input and random input with abrupt discontinuities). All simulations data obtained from the applications of active systems showed better stability for boom assembly. Among the implemented two active control laws (PID and \"fuzzy\") there were no significant differences between the oscillations attenuation of the boom, except with the random input with abrupt discontinuities. wherein this case the application of the active control \"fuzzy\" strategy developed better stability on boom than the application of PID control.

This thesis asks the research question In what ways do gender stereotypes inform the thoughts and actions of CCTV control room operators? Initially inspired by the problem of women’s lesser criminality, this research employs a police Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) control room ethnography to enable an exploration of the ways in which CCTV operators construct and interpret crime/deviance and sex/gender and what gender stereotypes they use to make sense of what they see on their screens. The fieldwork undertaken produces a social phenomenology of CCTV operators’ perceptions of potential crime/deviance, how these are gendered and their effects on surveillance practices. A framework for data analysis was iteratively developed. The themes it covers are: biological essentialism, social constructionism and the everyday reconciliation of theoretical problems through pragmatic solutions in the lived experience. These conceptual frames, drawn from criminological and gender theory, usefully allow the rethinking of gendered criminality/deviance and integral stereotyping. The interpretation of research findings using this framework indicates that operators' decision making is heavily based on stereotypes of sex/gender that are constructed through, and help to construct, corresponding incidences of crime/deviance, as well as a CCTV control room workplace culture. More specifically, the findings suggest that there are significant co-dependencies and co- productions of crime/deviance and sex/gender, which result in corresponding concepts and practices, and thus affinities between lay and academic theorising. These conclusions point to a need for further examination of the important consequences of assumptions contained in socially constructed stereotypes of sex/gender, especially in the context of social processes pertaining to crime/deviance, and their academic analysis and representation.

Le comportement dynamique des turbomachines industrielles doit respecter des critères émis par les normes internationales et les utilisateurs. Les rotors flexibles sont sensibles à la distribution de balourd, et sont soumis aux excitations aérodynamiques de leur environnement. Usuellement, les contrôleurs utilisés peinent à délivrer le niveau d’exigence demandé, par conséquent les propriétés mécaniques des paliers magnétiques sont fortement dépendantes de celles des rotors. L’objectif de ce mémoire est d’analyser le comportement dynamique des compresseurs centrifuges afin de proposer une stratégie de contrôle innovante. D’abord, chaque palier est considéré comme une entité a part entière en couplant ses deux axes d’action. Le comportement dynamique du rotor est exprimé dans le repère polaire. Par ailleurs, la logique floue, qui utilise un modèle de pensée proche du raisonnement humain, applique des actions correctives en fonction du comportement dynamique global du rotor. Ainsi, l’utilisation couplée de ces deux approches créé une synergie permettant d’agir sur le système de manière ciblée. Le contrôleur dissipe l’énergie cinétique du rotor lors du franchissement de vitesses critiques afin d’atténuer la réponse au balourd, ou augmente la raideur du palier lors de vibrations transitoires ou asynchrones afin de réduire la trajectoire du rotor. Le faible amortissement structurel du rotor le rend sensible au phénomène de « spillover » (l’énergie de contrôle affecte les modes de fréquence élevée). Or, la logique floue ne peut pas gérer ce phénomène. Ainsi, un contrôleur PID sous-jacent est utilisé pour maîtriser la stabilité des modes hautes fréquences. Au final, le contrôleur flou polaire permet d’obtenir des marges de performances entre les capacités de cet asservissement et le cahier des charges. Ces marges sont utilisées pour trois objectifs : le respect des spécifications, l’amélioration du comportement subsynchrone, et enfin la simplification et la standardisation du contrôleur sous-jacent nommé ici SPID. Ce contrôleur est tel que ses caractéristiques, dans la plage de fréquence utile, sont indépendantes du rotor pour une application donnée. Enfin, la stratégie développée est évaluée avec des simulations numériques et des essais expérimentaux. D’abord, le modèle numérique est validé, puis le contrôleur est appliqué à un banc d’essais académique. Le comportement est stable et robuste. Il présente des performances supérieures au PID augmenté fourni avec le banc, que ce soit pour la réponse au balourd, ou pour la réponse à des excitations subsynchrones. Finalement, la démarche est appliquée à un compresseur industriel. Les simulations montrent que le comportement est proche de celui exigé pour des machines sur paliers classiques. L’optimisation de l’approche et l’automatisation de la conception pourraient conduire à la standardisation des paliers magnétiques actifs<br>The dynamic behaviour of large turbomachinery should satisfy stringent requirements dictated by international standards and final users. Their flexible rotor is sensitive to the unbalance distribution and subjected to particular excitations coming from the industrial process. Usually, the performance margins between the requirements and the classical controller capabilities are small. Consequently, the magnetic bearing characteristics depend on the rotor geometry. Designing such controllers is difficult and time consuming. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the dynamic behaviour of supercritical centrifugal compressors in order to propose a new control strategy. First, each bearing is considered as one entity by coupling its two axes of action. The introduction of polar quantities permits a better observation of the rotor dynamic behaviour. In addition, by using logic close to human being reasoning, the fuzzy logic modulates the action forces as a function of the global dynamic behaviour. The coupling of the two approaches is an efficient way to apply targeted corrective actions. This controller attenuates the unbalance vibration when crossing critical speeds by applying damping forces, or increases the stiffness during transient or asynchronous excitations in order to limit the maximum displacement reached. As their structural damping is low, flexible rotors are very sensitive to spillover effect, which cannot be managed by fuzzy controllers. Consequently, an underlying PID is necessary. This hand-synthesized controller has high frequency characteristics tuned in order to ensure stability and robustness for each rotor. Compared to a classical approach, the polar fuzzy controller enables to increase the performance margins. These margins are used to fulfil three objectives: the achievement of standards requirements, the improvement of the subsynchronous behaviour, and the simplification and the standardization of the PID controller that we called SPID. This SPID is designed for a given application, such that the bearing characteristics on the operating frequency range are always the same. The control strategy is assessed numerically and experimentally. First, the numerical model is validated with experimental tests. Then, the controller developed is applied to an academic test rig. The controller is stable and robust. It exhibits performance superior to the augmented PID supplied with the test rig for both unbalance response and response to subsynchronous excitations. Finally, the control of an industrial compressor is assessed numerically. The results obtained are close to the standards requirements used for classical bearings. The optimization of the approach and the utilization of an automatic tuning algorithm for high frequency characteristics could lead to the standardization of Active Magnetic Bearings

Active safety systems for road vehicles have been improved considerably in recent years along with technological advances and the increasing demand for road safety. In the development route of active safety systems which started with introduction of digital controlled ABS in the late seventies, vehicle stability control systems have been developed which today, with an integration approach, incorporate ABS and other previously developed active safety technologies. ABS, as a main part of this new structure, still maintains its importance. In this thesis, a design methodology of an antilock braking system controller for four wheeled road vehicles is presented with a detailed simulation work. In the study, it is intended to follow a flexible approach for integration with unified control structure of an integrated active safety system. The objective of the ABS controller, as in the previous designs in literature, is basically to provide retention of vehicle directional control capability and if possible shorter braking distances by controlling the wheel slip during braking. iv A hierarchical structure was adopted for the ABS controller design. A high-level controller, through vehicle longitudinal acceleration based estimation, determines reference slip values and a low-level controller attempts to track these reference slip signals by modulating braking torques. Two control alternatives were offered for the design of the low-level controller: Fuzzy Logic Control and PID Control. Performance of the ABS controller was analyzed through extensive simulations conducted in MATLAB/Simulink for different road conditions and steering maneuvers. For simulations, an 8 DOF vehicle model was constructed with nonlinear tires.

La violenza contro le donne costituisce un problema a livello mondiale. 1 donna su 3, in tutto il mondo, subisce violenza fisica e/o sessuale da parte del partner (WHO, 2013). 2 milioni di persone si trovano in condizioni di grave povertà (Istat, 2016).Questi fattori possono incidere anche sulla sfera della genitorialità, in particolare intaccando la capacità di promuovere e supportare lo sviluppo fisico, emotivo, sociale, economico ed intellettuale del proprio figlio (Bornstein M.H., 19919. Diversi studi mostrano come specifiche caratteristiche di queste esperienze siano associate a conseguenze psicologiche e come la gravità e la cronicità degli atti di violenza subiti mostrino un legame con distress psicologico, vissuti di ansia, depressione, PTSD e altri sintomi (Dutton, 1992; Ahlfs-Dunn S.M.,2016). Gli scopi di questa ricerca sono quindi valutare l’impatto psicologico della violenza sulle donne in condizioni di povertà, sulla dimensione della genitorialità e sugli operatori che lavorano nell’ambito dell’assistenza socio-sanitaria. Lo studio si è svolto al Centro del San Fedele di Milano, un’organizzazione che riserva particolare attenzione all’accompagnamento sociale e all’educazione sanitaria .Sono state costruite ad hoc due batterie testali., costituite da una scheda anagrafica; il General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), (Piccinelli et al., 1993); il Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM); il Parenting Stress Index (PSI-SF) (Guarino, 2008). La batteria per gli operatori comprende una scheda anagrafica; il Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) (Maslach & Jackson, 1981), il Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-2) (Endler & Parker, 1990), il Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES). Il campione è compost da 150 donne (età media: 44,92; d.s.=± 13,93) . Il 58,7% è stata vittima di un qualche tipo di violenza. Le persone che hanno subito un qualche tipo di violenza hanno riportato livelli significativamente peggiori di Benessere (t=-2,13;p=,035), Sintomi (t=-2,36;p=,02), Funzionamento (t=-2,92;p=,004), Rischio (t=-2,68;p=,008) e Distress Totale (t=-2,96;p=,004) rispetto a chi non ha sperimentato alcun tipo di violenza. Inoltre, le vittime di violenza fisica o psicologica hanno riportato livelli significativamente peggiori in tutte le sottoscale del questionario CORE-OM e peggiori livelli di salute generale. La provenienza geografica non è invece risultata influenzare nessuna delle variabili indagate (p>,05). Su 150 donne 108 sono madri (età media: 39,90; d.s.=± 11,35). In un’ottica preventiva, è stato scelto di testare solo le madri di bambini sotto gli 11 anni. Le donne che hanno subito violenza riportano maggiore compromissione del Funzionamento (t(138)=-2,37;p=,02) e CORE-Totale (t(138)=-2,16;p=,03). Le vittime di violenza economica hanno riportato un maggiore livello di distress genitoriale, in particolare connesso con la gestione di un bambino difficile (PSI)(t(50)=-2,14; p=,038). Quest’ultima variabile risulta inoltre essere predetta dal livello di GHQ con effetto dell’avere un partner quale variabile moderatrice(F(3;47)=4,199;p=,0103). Il campione degli operatori invece è compost da 22 volontari (D:16; M=6; età media: 55,32; s.d.=16,65), che hanno riportato bassi livelli di Esaurimento Emotivo (m=11,71; d.s.=11,88) e moderati di Depersonalizzazione (m=4,41; d.s.=4,39) e Realizzazione Personale (m=36,48; d.s.=6,98). Uomini e donne non differiscono significativamente rispetto ad alcuna sottoscala. I volontari che lavorano a diretto contatto con gli utenti riportano livelli significativamente più elevati di Esaurimento Emotivo (t=2,235, p<,05) rispetto ai colleghiSecondo diversi autori (Briere, 2004; Krantz & Garcia-Moreno, 2005; Krauss, 2006) lavorare su questi aspetti potrebbe essere rilevante al fine di identificare l'emergere di disagio e fornire interventi di prevenzione.<br>Violence against women is known to be a worldwide emerging issue. In fact, 1 in 3 women throughout the world experience physical violence and/or sexual violence by a partner (WHO, 2013). 2 million women in Italy deal with severe poverty (Istat, 2016) and 6 million deal with physical violence (Istat, 2015).All these factors may also influence parenting, the ability to promote and support physical, emotional, social, economic and intellectual development of a child (Bornstein M.H., 1991) Several studies show that specific characteristics of these experiences are associated with psychological consequences and how the severity and chronicity of suffered violent acts are linked with psychological distress, anxiety, depression, PTSD and other symptoms (Dutton, 1992; Ahlfs-Dunn SM, 2016). In the light of these considerations, it is evident the complexity of the operators’ work in specialized centers that make contact with people who live in these dramatic conditions.Aims of this research are therefore to evaluate the psychological impact of violence on needy women, on the parenting experience and on operators involved in human services. The study takes place at Centro San Fedele in Milan, an organization that have particular attention on social aspects and sanitary education, aimed at hosting, taking care and supporting people who need help. Two series of tests were created ad hoc,composed by a registry paper,General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), (Piccinelli et al., 1993); Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), Parenting Stress Index (PSI-SF) (Guarino, 2008). The series of tests dedicated to operators was composed by a registry paper; Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) (Maslach & Jackson, 1981); Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-2)(Endler & Parker, 1990), Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES).The sample is composed by 150 women (mean age: 44.92; s.d.=±13.93). 58,7% has been victim of any type of violence. People who have been victim of any type of violence reported significantly worse levels of Wellbeing (t=-2.13;p=.035), Symptoms (t=-2.36;p=.02), Functioning (t=-2.92;p=.004), Risk (t=-2.68;p=.008), Total Distress (t=-2.96;p=.004) than who didn’t report any type of violence. Furthermore victims of physical or psychological violence reported significantly worse levels of all the subscales of CORE-OM and worse levels of general health. The number of types of violence experienced was significantly correlated with Symptoms (r=.226;p<.01), Risk (r=.254;p<.01), Total Distress (r=.259;p<.01). The geographic origin didn’t significantly influence any variables investigated (p>.05). Out of 150 women 108 are mothers (mean age=39.90; s.d=± 11.35). Women who have been subject to violence have a greater impairment of their functioning (t(138)=-2,37;p=,02)and total CORE (t(138)=-2,16;p=,03). Victims of economic violence reported a greater level of parental distress, particularly connected with the managing of a child (PSI)(t(50)=-2,14; p=,038). The latter variable seems to be foretold by GHQ level with the effect of having a a partner as a moderator variable(F(3;47)=4,199;p=,0103). The sample of operators is composed instead by 22 volunteers (W=16; M=6; mean age=55,32; ds=16,65), who reported low levels of Emotional Exhaustion (m=11.71; s.d.=11.88) and moderate levels of Depersonalization (m=4.41; s. d.=4.39) and Personal Accomplishment (m=36.48;s.d.=6.98). Men and women did not differ significantly on levels of any subscales. Volunteers who has a direct contact with patients reported significantly higher levels of Emotional Exhaustion (t=2.235, p<.05) compared to others . According to different authors (Briere, 2004; Krantz&Garcia-Moreno, 2005; Krauss, 2006) work on these aspects could be relevant in order to identify the emergence of discomfort and provide preventive psychological interventions.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:55:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RaphaellMS_DISSERT.pdf: 3087457 bytes, checksum: 184208141b97a58de312de245a6bd3e8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-11<br>Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico<br>Conventional control strategies used in shunt active power filters (SAPF) employs real-time instantaneous harmonic detection schemes which is usually implements with digital filters. This increase the number of current sensors on the filter structure which results in high costs. Furthermore, these detection schemes introduce time delays which can deteriorate the harmonic compensation performance. Differently from the conventional control schemes, this paper proposes a non-standard control strategy which indirectly regulates the phase currents of the power mains. The reference currents of system are generated by the dc-link voltage controller and is based on the active power balance of SAPF system. The reference currents are aligned to the phase angle of the power mains voltage vector which is obtained by using a dq phase locked loop (PLL) system. The current control strategy is implemented by an adaptive pole placement control strategy integrated to a variable structure control scheme (VS?APPC). In the VS?APPC, the internal model principle (IMP) of reference currents is used for achieving the zero steady state tracking error of the power system currents. This forces the phase current of the system mains to be sinusoidal with low harmonics content. Moreover, the current controllers are implemented on the stationary reference frame to avoid transformations to the mains voltage vector reference coordinates. This proposed current control strategy enhance the performance of SAPF with fast transient response and robustness to parametric uncertainties. Experimental results are showing for determining the effectiveness of SAPF proposed control system<br>Resumo: As estrat?gias de controle convencionais de filtros ativos de pot?ncia paralelos (FAPP) empregam esquemas de detec??o de harm?nicos em tempo real, usualmente implementados com filtros digitais. Isso aumenta o n?mero de sensores na estrutura do filtro, o que resulta em altos custos. Al?m disso, esses esquemas de detec??o introduzem atrasos que podem deteriorar o desempenho da compensa??o de harm?nicos. Diferentemente dos esquemas de controle convencionais, este artigo prop?e uma nova estrat?gia de controle que regula indiretamente as correntes de fase da rede el?trica. As correntes de refer?ncia do sistema s?o geradas pelo controle de tens?o do barramento CC e s?o baseadas no balan?o de pot?ncia ativa do sistema FAPP. As correntes de refer?ncia s?o alinhadas com o ?ngulo de fase do vetor tens?o da rede, que ? obtido usando um PLL (Phase Locked Loop). O controle de corrente ? implementado por uma estrat?gia de controle adaptativo por aloca??o de p?los, integrada com um esquema de controle com estrutura vari?vel (VS?APPC). No VS?APPC, o princ?pio do modelo interno (IMP) de refer?ncia ? usado para eliminar o erro em regime permanente das correntes do sistema. Isso for?a as correntes de fase do sistema a serem senoidais e com baixo teor de harm?nicos. Al?m disso, os controladores de corrente s?o implementados no referencial estacion?rio para evitar transforma??es nas coordenadas de refer?ncia do vetor tens?o da rede. Esta estrat?gia de controle de corrente melhora a performance do FAPP com uma resposta transit?ria r?pida e robustez a incertezas param?tricas. Resultados experimentais s?o mostrados para demonstrar a efic?cia do sistema de controle proposto para o FAPP

The monograph is devoted to a comprehensive review of the problems of pre-trial evidence collection as one of the stages of the general procedural mechanism aimed at establishing the circumstances relevant to the criminal case. The essence, methodological basis and system of investigative actions, forensic examinations and other procedural methods of collecting evidence that make up the modern arsenal of bodies of inquiry and preliminary investigation are investigated. The main cognitive and security technologies used in conducting investigative and other procedural actions are highlighted. The problems of the theory and legal regulation of the general rules of their implementation, the procedural status of their participants, fixing their progress and results, judicial control over their production are reflected; the actual problems of investigative inspection, examination, search, interrogation, confrontation, forensic examination, as well as the presentation, demand and seizure (seizure) of objects and documents are considered. Special attention is paid to the applied aspects, the analysis of errors and difficulties that arise in modern law enforcement practice, and possible ways to overcome them are proposed. For researchers and practitioners, teachers, postgraduates( adjuncts), students, as well as anyone interested in topical issues of criminal procedure law and criminology.

The textbook material is based on current issues related to the range and functional properties of food, biologically active substances and their complex interaction. Special attention is paid to the regulatory requirements for the functional nutrition of various population groups. The role of public catering in the organization of production and sale of functional products is also considered. The theoretical material, presented in an accessible form and supported by numerous illustrations, will allow future specialists in functional nutrition technology to organize and conduct technological processes in accordance with instructions, regulations, standards, sanitary and epidemiological regulations and rules, as well as the requirements of other documents. Modern data on the functional nutrition of athletes, schoolchildren, students and other categories of the population are presented. It offers control questions that can be used as individual assignments for students' independent work, and a list of references. Meets the requirements of the latest generation of federal state educational standards for higher education. For students of higher educational institutions studying in the field of Product Technology and catering organization.

The monograph reveals the key socio-economic problems of the innovation economy: its content as a knowledge economy and its role in evolutionary development; human capital (living intelligence) as the main resource of the innovation economy. Much attention is paid to the institutional support of innovation through a system of institutions and mutually beneficial contracts. The mixed mechanism of implementation of innovative activity as a synthesis of spontaneous market self-regulation and conscious public administration is shown. The result of the "social control" of society and the state is the coordination of the actions of economic entities and the ordering of economic processes.&#x0D; The most important institution of human society is the family as a strong power in the state. And the person himself with his knowledge, culture, ethics and morality is the main value of society. The main purpose of the family is to reproduce life and provide a person with everything necessary. The state as an institution manages a person's education and health, helps to change his lifestyle, strengthening humanity, ethics, morality and culture of life.&#x0D; The modern global economy remains a sphere of domination of market egoism. It is the market that performs the function of morality as a person and society as a whole. In the global economy, a person is not a representative of the people, but a representative of the system, a standard way of life. And he should live in communication based on respect for each other.&#x0D; It is concluded that today the main wealth of society is not material, but social wealth: the person himself with his knowledge, culture, ethics and morality is a living intellect; a family with the reproduction of life; immaterial knowledge that covers all types of work that cannot be calculated and paid, where the motive is the joy of free cooperation, free giving and community. In this "invisible economy" people mutually teach each other humanity and create a culture of joint thinking and living together. The State and society must preserve and increase the social wealth of human society.&#x0D; For students and postgraduates of economic and managerial specialties, as well as for anyone interested in this problem.

This insightful and practically-focused collection brings together different approaches to actor training from professionals based at universities and conservatoires in the UK, the US and Australia. Exploring the cultural and institutional differences which affect actor training, and analysing developments in the field today, it addresses a range of different approaches, from Stanislavski's System to contemporary immersive theatre. With hands-on focus from some of the world's leading programmes, and attention paid to ethical control, consent and safe practice, this book sees expert tutors exploring pathways to sustainable 21st century careers. Designed for tutors, students and practitioners, Approaches to Actor Training examines what it means to train as an actor, what actors-in-training can expect from their programmes of study and how the road to professional accomplishment is mapped and travelled.

This final chapter considers the critiques of individualism by communitarianism and feminism which followed the work of Alasdair Macintyre. While recognizing the virtues of community, it argues that those critiques paid insufficient attention to the opportunities that community action give for the exercise of power by sectional groups within communities, and that the ultimate purpose of supporting communities must be for the benefit of their individual members. It is argued that cultural rights should not be seen as the rights of groups to control members of the group, but of members of the group to choose to follow practices they see important to their identity. If individuals are to be adequately protected against the power of the community and of powerful individuals, institutions must exist wherein their rights can be articulated. The roles of the legal profession and mediation are examined in this context, including the place of legal aid.

How did ancient Greeks and Romans perceive their environments: did they see order or chaos, chance or control?And how do their views compare to modern perceptions?Conversing with Chaos in Graeco-Roman Antiquitychallenges prevailing ideas that ancient perceptions of the non-human world rested on a profound belief in universal order, and that the cosmos was harmonious and under human control. Engaging with the concept of chaos in both its ancient and modern meanings, and focusing on the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, this book reveals another sense of environmental awareness, one that paid equal attention to chance and chaos, and the sometimes-fatal consequences of human interventions in nature. Bringing together a team of international scholars, the volume investigates the experience of the interaction of humans with the environment, as reflected in ancient evidence from myths and philosophical treatises, to epigraphic evidence and archaeological remains. The contributors consider the role of the human in the formation of perspectives about the natural world and explore themes of agency, affordances, ecophobia, gender and temporality. Overall, the volume reveals how, in ancient imaginations, environments were perceived as living entities with their own agency, and respondent (or even vulnerable) to human actions and decision-making. It highlights how modern insights can enrich our understanding of the past, and demonstrates the increasing relevance of ancient historical research for reflecting on current relations to the natural world.

AbstractWith the unveiling of the 2019 National Strategy for Integration, Greece entered its third decade as a host country for immigrants, applicants and beneficiaries of international protection. Even though inflows of immigrants are recorded since the early 1990s, it took more than a decade for the issue of immigrant integration to be raised in the political agenda. This contribution provides for an assessment of the past 30 years, in terms of analysing the evolving legal and policy framework. In addition, it evaluates the proposed and implemented measures that aimed into facilitating immigrant integration. Historically, the 1991–2000 period was characterised by a repressive approach towards immigration and strict control measures, without any provisions for integration. During the years that followed (2001–2008), the first comprehensive immigration laws were presented, as did two Actions Plans on the social integration of immigrants. The 2008–2015 period was marked by the severe economic crisis that affected Greece, and resulted in dis-integrating part of the immigrant population. Finally, the current period is defined by the long-lasting effects of the 2015–2016 refugee crisis. As such, the latest in a long series of National Strategies for Integration was unveiled, while the HELIOS programme was launched, aiming to facilitate the integration of beneficiaries of international protection. Summarising, this chapter argues that even though lip service is paid to the concept of immigrant integration, a coherent and proactive policy for immigrants’ integration in the Greek society was almost never a Greek state’s priority.

NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has developed a Fault-Tolerant Magnetic Bearing Suspension rig to enhance the safety of the bearing system for multiple component failures. A simple proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller with no fault detection mechanisms was tested in a passive way where the initial bias current and control gains for all the eight heteropolar poles were not changed for the remaining active poles in the fault situations. The action of the integral term in the controller generated autonomous corrective actions for the pole failures to return the rotor to the set point (middle position) after the failure transient. The system stability and control of the rotor position were maintained over the entire speed range, where the rotor passes through the rigid body critical speeds and other rotor disturbances, provided that there was sufficient position stiffness and damping at low speeds. As far as the summation of force vectors of two attracting forces and rotor weight is zero, the passive fault tolerance was successfully demonstrated by using as few as two active poles out of the eight independent poles from each radial bearing (that is simply, 12 out of 16 poles dead). The rotor was spun without losing stability or desired position up to the rig’s maximum allowable speed of 20,000 rpm.

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has been studied in a variety of challenging decision-making tasks, e.g., autonomous driving. \textcolor{black}{However, DRL typically suffers from the action shaking problem, which means that agents can select actions with big difference even though states only slightly differ.} One of the crucial reasons for this issue is the inappropriate design of the reward in DRL. In this paper, to address this issue, we propose a novel way to incorporate the smoothness of actions in the reward. Specifically, we introduce sub-rewards and add multiple constraints related to these sub-rewards. In addition, we propose a multi-constraint proximal policy optimization (MCPPO) method to solve the multi-constraint DRL problem. Extensive simulation results show that the proposed MCPPO method has better action smoothness compared with the traditional proportional-integral-differential (PID) and mainstream DRL algorithms. The video is available at https://youtu.be/F2jpaSm7YOg.

Background/Purpose: Post-operative delirium leads to significant morbidity in elderly patients, yet there is no regimen to prevent POD. Opioid use in the elderly surgical population is of the most significant risk factors for developing POD. The purpose of this scoping review is to recognize that Dexmedetomidine mitigates cognitive dysfunction secondary to acute pain and the use of narcotic analgesia by decreasing the amount of norepinephrine (an excitatory neurotransmitter) released during times of stress. This mechanism of action also provides analgesia through decreased perception and modulation of pain. Methods: The authors developed eligibility criteria for inclusion of articles and performed a systematic search of several databases. Each of the authors initially selected five articles for inclusion in the scoping review. We created annotated literature tables for easy screening by co-authors. After reviewing the annotated literature table four articles were excluded, leaving 11 articles for inclusion in the scoping review. There were six level I meta-analysis/systematic reviews, four level II randomized clinical trials, and one level IV qualitative research article. Next, we created a data-charting form on Microsoft Word for extraction of data items and synthesis of results. Results: Two of the studies found no significant difference in POD between dexmedetomidine groups and control groups. The nine remaining studies noted decreases in the rate, duration, and risk of POD in the groups receiving dexmedetomidine either intraoperatively or postoperatively. Multiple studies found secondary benefits in addition to decreased POD, such as a reduction of tachycardia, hypertension, stroke, hypoxemia, and narcotic use. One study, however, found that the incidence of hypotension and bradycardia were increased among the elderly population. Implications for Nursing Practice: Surgery is a tremendous stressor in any age group, but especially the elderly population. It has been shown postoperative delirium occurs in 17-61% of major surgery procedures with 30-40% of the cases assumed to be preventable. Opioid administration in the elderly surgical population is one of the most significant risk factors for developing POD. With anesthesia practice already leaning towards opioid-free and opioid-limited anesthetic, the incorporation of dexmedetomidine could prove to be a valuable resource in both reducing opioid use and POD in the elderly surgical population. Although more research is needed, the current evidence is promising.

This project relates the structure of the bacteriocin molecule (which is genetically determined) to its antimicrobial function. We have sequenced the 19,542 bp pediocin plasmid pMD136 and developed a genetic transfer system for pediococci. The pediocin A operon is complex, containing putative structural, immunity, processing, and transport genes. The deduced sequence of the pediocin A molecule contains 44 amino acids and has a predicted PI of 9.45. Mechanistic studies compared the interaction of pediocin PA-1 and nisin with Listeria monocytgenes cells and model lipid systems. While significant nisin-induced intracellular ATP depletion is caused by efflux, pediocin-induced depletion is caused exclusively by hydrolysis. Liposomes derived from L. monocytogenes phospholipids were used to study the physical chemistry of pediocin and nisin interactions with lipids. Their different pH optima are the results of different specific ionizable amino acids. We generated a predicted 3-D structural model for pediocin PA-1 and used a variety of mutant pediocins to demonstrate that the "positive patch" at residues 11 and 12 (and not the YGNGV consensus sequence) is responsible for the binding step of pediocin action. This structure/function understanding gained here provides necessary prerequisites to the more efficacious use of bacteriocins to control foodborne pathogens.

Aujourd'hui, la communauté éducative dans son ensemble est confrontée à un défi universel : se préparer à l'ère de la post-pandémie-COVID-19. Ce défi signifie qu’il faut assurer un enseignement équitable et de qualité ainsi qu'une évaluation efficace et efficiente de l'apprentissage selon des modalités hybrides, flexibles ou entièrement à distance. En outre, les bureaux de soutien à l’enseignement (BSE) jouent un rôle essentiel pour relever et surmonter ce défi. Ce livre blanc met en lumière la manière dont les BSE, les centres d'enseignement et d'apprentissage et les entités équivalentes ont abordé et prévoient d'aborder les tendances et les problèmes de l'apprentissage numérique dans le contexte de la perturbation de l'enseignement causée par la COVID-19. Il commence par un aperçu du rôle traditionnel que les BSE et les entités équivalentes ont joué depuis leur création dans les établissements d'enseignement. Il décrit ensuite comment ce rôle a évolué pour devenir les premiers intervenants académiques dans le contexte de la pandémie COVID-19. Le document se poursuit par une discussion approfondie sur les défis auxquels les BSE ont été confrontés depuis l'éruption de la pandémie en mars 2020 et ceux qu'ils anticipent pour les semestres à venir. Il énumère également des exemples concrets de mesures qu'ils ont prises pour faire face à ces défis. En outre, il fournit des informations détaillées sur une action majeure entreprise par tous, à savoir le partage public d'une abondance de ressources pour soutenir le corps enseignant et les étudiants pendant la transition en ligne. Cette discussion met en évidence les ressources pertinentes en matière d'équité. La dernière section de ce document présente les leçons apprises et les recommandations des centres aux centres, ainsi que les commentaires d'experts et de chercheurs du domaine avec des idées et des approches adaptées au mandat actuel des centres pour les aider à mieux faire face à ce qui s'en vient. Les recommandations de ce livre blanc s’appliquent aux établissements d'enseignement, aux membres du corps enseignant, aux étudiants et aux décideurs politiques. Ce livre blanc a été préparé dans le cadre des travaux de l’Observatoire international sur les impacts sociétaux de l’IA et du numérique (OBVIA) sur les effets des systèmes d’intelligence artificielle et des outils numériques déployés pour lutter contre la propagation de la COVID-19 sur les sociétés soutenus par les Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ). Il a été rédigé par Nadia Naffi PhD, Université Laval, soutenue par la Chaire de leadership en enseignement (CLE) sur les pratiques pédagogiques innovantes en contexte numérique – Banque Nationale, la Chaire de recherche « Maker Culture » de l’Université Concordia, avec la participation des chercheur·e·s Ann-Louise Davidson PhD, Concordia University, Roger Kaufman PhD, Florida State University, Richard E (Dick) Clark PhD, University of Southern California, Brian Beatty PhD, San Francisco State University, Didier Paquelin PhD, Université Laval, des consultants Dawn M. Snyder PhD, Dawn Snyder Associates, et Guy Wallace, EPPIC Inc, et des assistante·s de recherche Azeneth Patino, Université Laval, Edem Gbetoglo, Université Laval, Nathalie Duponsel, Concordia University, Céleste Savoie, Université Laval, Isabelle Fournel, Université Laval, et Ivan Ruby, Concordia University. Un grand merci aux auteurs invités qui ont contribué au livre blanc (par ordre alphabétique): Barbar Akle PhD, Lebanese American University, Fawzi Baroud PhD, UNESCO &amp; Notre Dame University, Tony Bates PhD, Ryerson University &amp; Contact Nord, Chris Dede PhD, Harvard University, Julie Desjardins PhD, Université de Sherbrooke, Rula Diab PhD, Lebanese American University, Moira Fischbacher-Smith PhD, University of Glasgow, Aline Germain-Rutherford PhD, University of Ottawa, David Hornsby PhD, Carleton University, Jaymie Koroluk, Carleton University, Hubert Lalande, University of Ottawa, Patrick Lyons, Carleton University, Florian Meyer PhD, Université de Sherbrooke, Richard Pinet, University of Ottawa, Annie Pilote PhD, Université Laval, Dragana Polovina-Vukovic, Carleton University, Bart Rienties PhD, Open University, Roland van Oostveen PhD, Ontario Tech University, et Laura Winer PhD, McGill University. Et un remerciement spécial aux dix-neuf centres d'enseignement et d'apprentissage et aux équipes équivalentes du Canada, des États-Unis, du Liban, du Royaume-Uni et de la France pour leur temps et les expériences qu'ils ont partagées avec notre équipe. Tous les centres faisaient face à des défis très difficiles et ont pourtant trouvé le temps de soutenir ce travail.

There is increased demand for high quality fruit produced and marketed with reduced chemical inputs to minimize toxic effects on human health and the environment. Granny Smith (GS) apple quality is reduced by two major physiological disorders, superficial scald and bitter pit (BP). These disorders cause great loss to apple growers worldwide. Superficial scald is commonly controlled by chemical treatments, mainly the antioxidant diphenylamine (DPA) and/or the ethylene action inhibitor, 1-methylcyclopropene (1–MCP). Both chemicals are ineffective in controlling bitter pit incidence. We proposed to investigate the beneficial use of non-chemical, abiotic stress with low O2 (LO2) applied for 10d at 20°C on GS apple fruit. During the project we expanded the treatment to more apple cultivars, Golden Delicious (GD) and Starking Delicious (SD) and another pome fruit, the pear. Apple and pear have similar physiological disorders that develop during cold storage and we examined if the LO2 treatment would also be effective on pear. Application of 0.5% LO2 atmosphere for 10d at 20°C or 500ppb 1-MCP at 20°C prior to cold storage at 0°C, was effective in reducing superficial scald in GS apple. Moreover, LO2 pretreatment was also effective in reducing bitter pit (BP) development in California GS and Israeli GD and SD apples The BP symptoms in GS from California were much more prominent, so the effect of LO2 was more dramatic than the effect on the Israeli cvs. GD and SD, nevertheless the LO2 treatment showed the same trend in all cultivars in reducing BP. The LO2 and 1-MCP -treated fruit exhibited lower levels of ethylene, - farnesene and its oxidation product, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (MHO), as determined by SPME/GC-MS analysis. In addition, LO2 pretreatment applied to California Bartlett or Israeli Spadona pears was effective in reducing superficial scald, senescent scald and internal breakdown after 4 m of cold storage at 0°C. For GS apple, low-temperature storage resulted in oxidative stress and chilling injury, caused by increased production of superoxide anions which in turn led to the generation of other dangerous reactive oxygen species (ROS). Using confocal laser-scanning microscopy and H2O2 measurements of apple peel, we observed ROS accumulation in control fruit, while negligible amounts were found in LO2 and 1-MCP treated fruit. Gene-expression levels of ROS-scavenging enzymes were induced by the various pretreatments: catalase was induced by LO2 treatment, whereas Mn superoxide dismutase was induced by 1-MCP treatment. We assume that LO2 and 1-MCP pretreated fruit remained healthier due to reduced production of ethylene and reactive oxygen substances, such as MHO, during cold storage. The LO2-treated apple exhibited greener peel and firmer fruit after 6 m of cold storage, and the fruit had high crispiness leading to high taste preference. In both pear cultivars, the LO2 treatment led to a reduction in internal breakdown and browning around the seed cavity. We tested the LO2 pre-storage treatment on a semi-commercial scale that would be applicable to a small organic grower by sealing the fruit within the plastic field bins. The treatment was most effective with a continuous flow of nitrogen through the bins; however, a single 6 hour flush of nitrogen was also fairly effective. In addition, we determined that it was very important to have the oxygen levels below 0.5% for approximately 10 days to achieve good scald control, not counting the time required to reduce the oxygen concentration. Our LO2 technology has been proven in this project to be effective in reducing several physiological disorders developed in pome fruit during cold storage. We hope that our non-chemical treatment which is friendly to the environment will be used in the near future for the organic apple and pear industry. The next step should be an analysis of the cost-benefits and commercial feasibility.

Original objectives: [a] Screen an array of chickpea and wild annual Cicer germplasm for winter survival. [b] Genetic analysis of winter hardiness in domesticated x wild chickpea crosses. [c] Genetic analysis of vernalization response in domesticated x wild chickpea crosses. [d] Digital expression analysis of a core selection of breeding and germplasm lines of chickpea that differ in winter hardiness and vernalization. [e] Identification of the genes involved in the chickpea winter hardiness and vernalization and construction of gene network controlling these traits. [f] Assessing the phenotypic and genetic correlations between winter hardiness, vernalization response and Ascochyta blight response in chickpea. The complexity of the vernalization response and the inefficiency of our selection experiments (below) required quitting the work on ascochyta response in the framework of this project. Background to the subject: Since its introduction to the Palouse region of WA and Idaho, and the northern Great Plains, chickpea has been a spring rotation legume due to lack of winter hardiness. The short growing season of spring chickpea limits its grain yield and leaves relatively little stubble residue for combating soil erosion. In Israel, chilling temperatures limit pod setting in early springs and narrow the effective reproductive time window of the crop. Winter hardiness and vernalization response of chickpea alleles were lost due to a series of evolutionary bottlenecks; however, such alleles are prevalent in its wild progenitor’s genepool. Major conclusions, solutions, achievements: It appears that both vernalization response and winter hardiness are polygenic traits in the wild-domesticated chickpea genepool. The main conclusion from the fieldwork in Israel is that selection of domesticated winter hardy and vernalization responsive types should be conducted in late flowering and late maturity backgrounds to minimize interference by daylength and temperature response alleles (see our Plant Breeding paper on the subject). The main conclusion from the US winter-hardiness studies is that excellent lines have been identified for germplasm release and continued genetic study. Several of the lines have good seed size and growth habit that will be useful for introgressing winter-hardiness into current chickpea cultivars to develop releases for autumn sowing. We sequenced the transcriptomes and profiled the expression of genes in 87 samples. Differential expression analysis identified a total of 2,452 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between vernalized plants and control plants, of which 287 were shared between two or more Cicer species studied. We cloned 498 genes controlling vernalization, named CVRN genes. Each of the CVRN genes contributes to flowering date advance (FDA) by 3.85% - 10.71%, but 413 (83%) other genes had negative effects on FDA, while only 83 (17%) had positive effects on FDA, when the plant is exposed to cold temperature. The cloned CVRN genes provide new toolkits and knowledge to develop chickpea cultivars that are suitable for autumn-sowing. Scientific &amp; agricultural implications: Unlike the winter cereals (barley, wheat) or pea, in which a single allelic change may induce a switch from winter to spring habit, we were unable to find any evidence for such major gene action in chickpea. In agricultural terms this means that an alternative strategy must be employed in order to isolate late flowering – ascochyta resistant (winter types) domesticated forms to enable autumn sowing of chickpea in the US Great Plains. An environment was identified in U.S. (eastern Washington) where autumn-sown chickpea production is possible using the levels of winter-hardiness discovered once backcrossed into advanced cultivated material with acceptable agronomic traits. The cloned CVRN genes and identified gene networks significantly advance our understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying plant vernalization in general, and chickpea in particular, and provide a new toolkit for switching chickpea from a spring-sowing to autumn-sowing crop.

Introducción En 2023 el Banco de la República celebra 100 años de su fundación. Este es un aniversario de gran significado, el cual ofrece la oportunidad de resaltar el aporte que el Banco ha hecho al desarrollo del país. Su trayectoria como garante de la estabilidad monetaria lo ha consolidado como la institución estatal independiente que genera mayor confianza entre los colombianos por su transparencia, capacidad de gestión y el cumplimiento efectivo de las funciones de banca central y culturales encomendadas en la Constitución y la Ley. En una fecha tan importante como esta, la Junta Directiva del Banco de la República (JDBR) hace un reconocimiento a las generaciones de directivos y funcionarios que con su compromiso y dedicación contribuyeron a engrandecer esta institución1. El mandato del Banco de la República se consolidó en la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente de 1991, para cuya integración los ciudadanos tuvieron la oportunidad de elegir a las setenta personas que tendrían como tarea redactar una nueva constitución. Los dirigentes de los tres movimientos políticos más votados fueron elegidos presidentes de la Asamblea, y esta presidencia tripartita reflejó la pluralidad y la necesidad de consenso entre las diferentes fuerzas políticas para sacar adelante la reforma. Entre los asuntos considerados, la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente le otorgó especial importancia a la estabilidad monetaria. Por esta razón decidió incluir el tema de banca central y dotar al Banco de la República de la autonomía necesaria para utilizar los instrumentos a su cargo sin injerencia de otras autoridades. El constituyente entendió que velar por la estabilidad de precios es un deber del Estado y que la entidad responsable de este cometido debe estar consagrada en la Constitución y contar con la capacidad técnica y autonomía institucional necesaria para adoptar las decisiones que considere pertinentes para alcanzar este objetivo fundamental, en coordinación con la política económica general. En particular, el artículo 373 estableció que “el Estado, por intermedio del Banco de la República, velará por el mantenimiento de la capacidad adquisitiva de la moneda”, disposición que coincidía con el esquema de banca central adoptado por países exitosos en el control de la inflación. En 1999, mediante sentencia 481, la Corte Constitucional indicó que “el deber de mantener la capacidad adquisitiva de la moneda no solo se predica de la autoridad monetaria, crediticia y cambiaria, esto es de la Junta del Banco de la República, sino también de quienes tienen responsabilidades en la formulación y ejecución de la política económica general del país” y que “la finalidad constitucional básica del Banco de la República es la protección de la moneda sana, pero esa autoridad debe tomar en consideración en sus decisiones los otros objetivos económicos de la intervención del Estado, como el pleno empleo, pues sus funciones deben coordinarse con la política económica general.” La reforma al Banco de la República concertada en la Constituyente de 1991 y en la Ley 31 de 1992 se puede resumir en los siguientes aspectos: i) asignó al Banco un mandato específico: mantener la capacidad adquisitiva de la moneda, en coordinación con la política económica general; ii) designó a la JDBR como autoridad monetaria, cambiaria y crediticia; iii) otorgó al Banco y a su Junta Directiva un importante grado de independencia frente al Gobierno; iv) prohibió al Banco otorgar crédito al sector privado distinto del financiero; v) estableció que para otorgar crédito al Gobierno se requería del voto unánime de su Junta Directiva, a menos que se trate de operaciones de mercado abierto; vi) determinó que el legislador, en ningún caso, podrá ordenar cupos de crédito a favor del Estado o de los particulares; vii) designó al Congreso, en representación de la sociedad, como principal destinatario del ejercicio de rendición de informes del Banco; y viii) delegó en el presidente de la República la función de inspección, vigilancia y control sobre el Banco de la República. Los miembros de la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente entendieron claramente que los beneficios de una inflación baja y estable se extienden a toda la sociedad y contribuyen al buen funcionamiento del sistema económico. Entre los más importantes cabe mencionar que una inflación baja promueve el uso eficiente de los recursos productivos, al permitir que los precios relativos guíen de mejor forma la asignación de recursos, lo cual promueve el crecimiento económico y aumenta el bienestar de la población. Igualmente, una inflación baja reduce la incertidumbre sobre la rentabilidad esperada de la inversión y sobre el precio futuro de los activos, lo que aumenta la confianza de los agentes económicos, facilita la financiación de largo plazo y estimula la inversión. Una inflación baja evita redistribuciones arbitrarias del ingreso y la riqueza, debido a que los estratos de ingresos bajos de la población no pueden protegerse de la inflación mediante la diversificación de sus activos, y concentran una elevada proporción de su ingreso en la compra de alimentos y otros bienes básicos, ítems que generalmente son los más afectados por los choques inflacionarios2. Por otra parte, una baja inflación facilita las negociaciones salariales, lo cual crea un buen clima laboral y reduce la volatilidad del nivel de empleo. Finalmente, una inflación baja contribuye a que el sistema de impuestos sea más transparente y equitativo, al evitar las distorsiones que la inflación introduce sobre el valor de los activos y de los ingresos que componen la base tributaria. Desde el punto de vista de la autoridad monetaria, uno de los beneficios más relevantes de una inflación baja es la credibilidad que los agentes económicos adquieren en la meta de inflación, lo que la convierte en un ancla nominal efectiva sobre el nivel de precios. Al recibir su mandato, y en uso de su autonomía, el Banco de la República empezó a anunciar metas puntuales de inflación anual a partir de 1992. Si bien en esta primera etapa las metas de inflación propuestas no se lograron cumplir de forma precisa, sí se consiguió imprimirle a la inflación una tendencia descendente, que la llevó desde un nivel del 32,4% en 1990 al 16,7% en 1998. Para aquella época la tasa de cambio se mantenía dentro de una banda, lo cual limitaba la efectividad de la política monetaria, que buscaba cumplir simultáneamente una meta de inflación y un objetivo de tasa de cambio. La crisis asiática se contagió a las economías emergentes y afectó de manera importante a la economía colombiana. La tasa de cambio presentó una fuerte presión a la depreciación al cerrarse el acceso al financiamiento externo en condiciones de un elevado desequilibrio externo. Lo anterior, junto con la falta de flexibilidad cambiaria, impidió hacer una política monetaria contracíclica, lo que condujo a una contracción del PIB del 4,2% en dicho año. En este contexto de desaceleración económica, la inflación anual se redujo al 9,2% a finales de 1999, situándose por debajo de la meta del 15% que se había fijado para ese año. Este episodio reveló plenamente lo costoso que podría ser, en términos de actividad económica, el tener simultáneamente metas para la inflación y para la tasa de cambio. Hacia finales de 1999 el Banco de la República anunció la adopción de un nuevo régimen de política monetaria que denominó Esquema de Inflación Objetivo. Este régimen, conocido internacionalmente como ‘Inflation Targeting,’ venía ganando creciente aceptación en países desarrollados, al haber sido adoptado a partir de 1991 por Nueva Zelanda, Canadá e Inglaterra, entre otros, logrando importantes avances en el manejo de la inflación, sin incurrir en costos en términos de actividad económica. En América Latina, Brasil y Chile también lo acogieron en 1999. En el caso colombiano, el último requisito pendiente por cumplir para adoptar dicho esquema de política era la flexibilidad de la tasa de cambio, la cual se materializó hacia septiembre de 1999, cuando la JDBR decidió abandonar las bandas cambiarias para permitir que la tasa de cambio se determinara libremente en el mercado. De forma coherente con el mandato constitucional, el objetivo fundamental de este nuevo esquema de política consistía en “el cumplimiento de una meta de inflación que contribuya a mantener un crecimiento del producto alrededor de su capacidad potencial”3. Dicha capacidad potencial se entendía como aquel crecimiento del PIB que la economía puede obtener si utiliza plenamente sus recursos productivos. Para cumplir este objetivo la política monetaria debe cumplir necesariamente un papel contracíclico en la economía. Ello porque cuando la actividad económica está por debajo de su potencial y existen recursos ociosos, la autoridad monetaria puede reducir la tasa de interés ante la ausencia de presiones inflacionarias para estimular por esa vía la economía y, de manera inversa, cuando el producto supera su capacidad potencial. Este principio de política, que está inmerso en los modelos para guiar la postura de política monetaria, hace que, en el mediano plazo, sean totalmente compatibles los objetivos del cumplimiento de la meta de inflación y de un nivel de actividad económica compatible con su capacidad productiva. Para alcanzar este propósito, en el esquema de inflación objetivo se utiliza la tasa de interés del mercado monetario (a la cual el banco central suministra liquidez primaria a los bancos comerciales), como el instrumento primordial de política. Con ello se sustituyó la cantidad de dinero como meta intermedia de política monetaria, que el Banco de la República, al igual que varios otros bancos centrales, utilizaron por mucho tiempo. En el caso colombiano, el objetivo del nuevo esquema de política monetaria implicaba, en términos prácticos, que la recuperación de la economía, luego de la contracción ocurrida en 1999, debía lograrse al tiempo que se cumplían las metas decrecientes de inflación establecidas por la JDBR. De manera notable este propósito se cumplió. En la primera mitad de la década del 2000 la actividad económica logró una recuperación importante, hasta alcanzar un crecimiento del 6,8% en 2006. Entretanto, la inflación fue descendiendo gradualmente, en línea con las metas de inflación. Fue así como la tasa de inflación se redujo desde el 9,2% en 1999 al 4,5% en 2006, cumpliendo con la meta de inflación establecida para ese año, mientras que el PIB alcanzó su nivel potencial. Después de lograrse este equilibrio en 2006, la inflación repuntó al 5,7% en 2007, por encima de la meta del 4% fijada para ese año, debido a que el crecimiento del PIB del 7,5% superó su capacidad potencial4. Luego de comprobarse la eficacia del esquema de inflación objetivo en sus primeros años de operación, este régimen de política continuó consolidándose a medida que la JDBR y el equipo técnico ganaron experiencia en su manejo y se incorporaron modelos económicos de última tecnología para diagnosticar el estado presente y futuro de la economía, y evaluar la persistencia de los desvíos de la inflación y sus expectativas con respecto a la meta de inflación. A partir de 2010 la JDBR estableció la meta de inflación anual de largo plazo del 3%, que continúa vigente en la actualidad. La menor inflación ha contribuido a crear un entorno macroeconómico más estable, que ha favorecido el crecimiento económico sostenido, la estabilidad financiera, el desarrollo del mercado de capitales y el funcionamiento de los sistemas de pagos. Gracias a ello se lograron reducciones en la prima por riesgo inflacionario y menores tasas de interés de los TES y de crédito. A su vez, la duración de la deuda interna pública aumentó de forma importante pasando de 2,27 años en diciembre de 2002 a 5,86 años en diciembre de 2022 y la profundización financiera, medida como el nivel de la cartera como porcentaje del PIB, pasó de cerca del 20% a mediados de la década de los noventa a valores superiores al 45% en años recientes, en un contexto saludable de los establecimientos de crédito. Los logros tangibles alcanzados por el Banco de la República en el manejo de la inflación al haber contado con la autonomía que le otorgó la Constitución para cumplir con el mandato de preservar el poder adquisitivo de la moneda, junto con los importantes beneficios que se derivaron del proceso de llevar la inflación a su meta de largo plazo, hacen que el reto que actualmente enfrenta la JDBR de retornar la inflación a la meta del 3% sea aún más exigente y apremiante. Como es bien conocido, a partir de 2021, y especialmente en 2022, la inflación en Colombia volvió a convertirse en un serio problema económico, con elevados costos de bienestar. El fenómeno inflacionario no ha sido exclusivo de Colombia y es así como muchos otros países desarrollados y emergentes han visto alejarse sus tasas de inflación de las metas propuestas por sus bancos centrales5. Las razones de este fenómeno se han analizado en los recientes Informes al Congreso, y en esta nueva entrega se profundiza al respecto con información actualizada. La sólida base institucional y técnica que soporta el esquema de inflación objetivo bajo el cual opera la estrategia de política monetaria le da a la JDBR los elementos necesarios para enfrentar con confianza este difícil reto. Al respecto, en su comunicado del 25 de noviembre la JDBR reiteró su compromiso con la meta de inflación del 3,0%, la cual prevé alcanzar hacia finales de 20246. La política monetaria continuará enfocada en cumplir este objetivo, al tiempo que velará por la sostenibilidad de la actividad económica, tal y como lo ordena la Constitución. Las encuestas a analistas llevadas a cabo en marzo mostraron un incremento importante (del 32,3% en enero al 48,5% en marzo) en el porcentaje de respuestas que sitúan las expectativas de inflación a dos años o más en un rango entre el 3% y 4%. Este es un indicativo claro de recuperación de credibilidad en la meta de inflación a mediano plazo, lo cual guarda coherencia con el anuncio de la JDBR de noviembre pasado. La moderación de la tendencia alcista de la inflación que se observó en enero, y especialmente en febrero, contribuirá a reforzar esta revisión de expectativas de inflación, y ayudará a cumplir los objetivos propuestos. Luego de registrarse una inflación del 5,6% a finales de 2021, la inflación mantuvo una tendencia alcista a lo largo de 2022 debido a las presiones inflacionarias tanto de origen externo, asociadas con las secuelas de la pandemia y las consecuencias del conflicto bélico en Ucrania, como de origen interno, resultantes de: el fortalecimiento de la demanda local; los procesos de indexación de precios estimulados por el aumento de las expectativas de inflación; las afectaciones a la producción de alimentos provocadas por el paro de mediados de 2021, y el traspaso de la depreciación a los precios. Los aumentos del salario mínimo del 10% en 2021 y del 16% en 2022, que en ambos casos superaron la inflación observada y el incremento de la productividad, acentuaron los procesos de indexación al haber establecido un elevado referente de ajuste nominal. De esta forma, la inflación total aumentó al 13,1% a finales 2022. La variación anual de alimentos, que subió del 17,2% al 27,8% entre esos dos años, fue el factor que más influyó en la aceleración del Índice de Precios al Consumidor (IPC). Otro rubro que contribuyó de manera importante a las alzas de precios fue el de regulados, cuya variación anual aumentó del 7,1% en diciembre de 2021 al 11,8% a finales de 2022. Por su parte, la medida de inflación básica sin alimentos ni regulados subió del 2,5% al 9,5% entre finales de 2021 y finales de 2022. El aumento sustancial de la inflación básica muestra que la presión inflacionaria se extendió a la mayoría de los rubros de la canasta familiar, lo cual es característico de procesos inflacionarios con una indexación de precios generalizada, como ocurre en Colombia. La política monetaria empezó a reaccionar tempranamente a estas presiones inflacionarias. Fue así como a partir de su sesión de septiembre de 2021 la JDBR inició un cambio progresivo de la postura de la política monetaria a partir del mínimo histórico del 1,75% de la tasa de interés de política al cual se había llegado para estimular la recuperación de la economía. Este proceso de ajuste prosiguió sin interrupción a lo largo de 2022 y hasta inicios de 2023, cuando la tasa de política monetaria alcanzó el 12,75% en enero pasado, con lo cual acumuló un incremento de 11 puntos porcentuales (pp). El público y los mercados se han mostrado sorprendidos de que la inflación continuara aumentando, a pesar de los significativos incrementos de la tasa de interés. Pero como lo ha explicado la JDBR en sus diversas comunicaciones, la política monetaria actúa con rezago. Así como en 2022 la actividad económica se recuperó hasta alcanzar un nivel superior al de prepandemia, impulsada, entre otros factores, por el estímulo monetario otorgado durante el período de pandemia y de los meses subsiguientes, así también los efectos de la actual política monetaria restrictiva se irán dando paulatinamente, lo que permite esperar que hacia finales de 2024 la tasa de inflación converja hacia el 3%, como es el propósito de la JDBR. Los resultados de la inflación en enero y febrero de este año mostraron incrementos marginales decrecientes (13 pb y 3 pb respectivamente), en comparación con la variación observada en diciembre (59 pb). Esto sugiere que se aproxima un punto de inflexión en la tendencia de la inflación. En otros países de América Latina, como Chile, Brasil, Perú y México, la inflación llegó a su techo y ha empezado a descender lentamente, aunque con algunos altibajos. Es previsible que en Colombia ocurra un proceso similar durante los próximos meses. El descenso previsto de la inflación en 2023 obedecerá, entre otros factores, a las menores presiones de costos externos por cuenta de la progresiva normalización de las cadenas de suministro, a la superación de los choques de oferta por razones de clima y por los bloqueos viales de años anteriores, lo que se reflejará en menores ajustes en los precios de los alimentos, como ya se observó en los primeros dos meses del año y, por supuesto, al efecto rezagado de la política monetaria. El proceso de convergencia de la inflación a la meta será gradual y se extenderá más allá de 2023. Dicho proceso se facilitará si se revierten las presiones a la devaluación, para lo cual resulta esencial que se continúe consolidando la sostenibilidad fiscal y se eviten mensajes en diferentes frentes de la política pública que generan incertidumbre y desconfianza. _______________________________________ 1 Este Informe al Congreso contiene el recuadro 1 que resume la trayectoria del Banco de la República en estos 100 años. Adicionalmente, con auspicio del Banco, varios libros que profundizan diversos aspectos de la historia de esta institución fueron publicados en años recientes. Véase, por ejemplo: 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 Es por ello que una menor inflación se ha reflejado en la reducción de la desigualdad del ingreso medida a través del coeficiente de Gini al pasar de 58,7 en 1998 a 51,3 en el año previo a la pandemia. 3 Véase Gómez Javier, Uribe José Darío, Vargas Hernando (2002). “The Implementation of Inflation Targeting in Colombia”. Borrador de Economía, núm. 202, marzo, disponible en: https://repositorio.banrep.gov.co/handle/20.500.12134/5220 4 Véase López-Enciso Enrique A.; Vargas-Herrera Hernando y Rodríguez-Niño Norberto (2016). “La estrategia de inflación objetivo en Colombia. Una visión histórica”, Borrador de Economía, núm. 952. https://repositorio.banrep.gov.co/handle/20.500.12134/6263 5 Según el FMI, la variación porcentual de los precios al consumidor entre 2021 y 2022 pasó del 3,1 % al 7,3 % para las economías avanzadas, y del 5,9 % al 9,9 % para las economías de mercados emergentes y en vías de desarrollo. 6 https://www.banrep.gov.co/es/noticias/junta-directiva-banco-republica-reitera-meta-inflacion-3

Executive Summary This report describes a series of experiments carried out by PRICE Lab, a research programme at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) jointly funded by the Central Bank of Ireland, the Commission for Energy Regulation, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Commission for Communications Regulation. The experiments were conducted with samples of Irish consumers aged 18-70 years and were designed to answer the following general research question: At what point do products become too complex for consumers to choose accurately between the good ones and the bad ones? BACKGROUND AND METHODS PRICE Lab represents a departure from traditional methods employed for economic research in Ireland. It belongs to the rapidly expanding area of ‘behavioural economics’, which is the application of psychological insights to economic analysis. In recent years, behavioural economics has developed novel methods and generated many new findings, especially in relation to the choices made by consumers. These scientific advances have implications both for economics and for policy. They suggest that consumers often do not make decisions in the way that economists have traditionally assumed. The findings show that consumers have limited capacity for attending to and processing information and that they are prone to systematic biases, all of which may lead to disadvantageous choices. In short, consumers may make costly mistakes. Research has indeed documented that in several key consumer markets, including financial services, utilities and telecommunications, many consumers struggle to choose the best products for themselves. It is often argued that these markets involve ‘complex’ products. The obvious question that arises is whether consumer policy can be used to help them to make better choices when faced with complex products. Policies are more likely to be successful where they are informed by an accurate understanding of how real consumers make decisions between products. To provide evidence for consumer policy, PRICE Lab has developed a method for measuring the accuracy with which consumers make choices, using techniques adapted from the scientific study of human perception. The method allows researchers to measure how reliably consumers can distinguish a good deal from a bad one. A good deal is defined here as one where the product is more valuable than the price paid. In other words, it offers good value for money or, in the jargon of economics, offers the consumer a ‘surplus’. Conversely, a bad deal offers poor value for money, providing no (or a negative) surplus. PRICE Lab’s main experimental method, which we call the ‘Surplus Identification’ (S-ID) task, allows researchers to measure how accurately consumers can spot a surplus and whether they are prone to systematic biases. Most importantly, the S-ID task can be used to study how the accuracy of consumers’ decisions changes as the type of product changes. For the experiments we report here, samples of consumers arrived at the ESRI one at a time and spent approximately one hour doing the S-ID task with different kinds of products, which were displayed on a computer screen. They had to learn to judge the value of one or more products against prices and were then tested for accuracy. As well as people’s intrinsic motivation to do well when their performance on a task like this is tested, we provided an incentive: one in every ten consumers who attended PRICE Lab won a prize, based on their performance. Across a series of these experiments, we were able to test how the accuracy of consumers’ decisions was affected by the number and nature of the product’s characteristics, or ‘attributes’, which they had to take into account in order to distinguish good deals from bad ones. In other words, we were able to study what exactly makes for a ‘complex’ product, in the sense that consumers find it difficult to choose good deals. FINDINGS Overall, across all ten experiments described in this report, we found that consumers’ judgements of the value of products against prices were surprisingly inaccurate. Even when the product was simple, meaning that it consisted of just one clearly perceptible attribute (e.g. the product was worth more when it was larger), consumers required a surplus of around 16-26 per cent of the total price range in order to be able to judge accurately that a deal was a good one rather than a bad one. Put another way, when most people have to map a characteristic of a product onto a range of prices, they are able to distinguish at best between five and seven levels of value (e.g. five levels might be thought of as equivalent to ‘very bad’, ‘bad’, ‘average’, ‘good’, ‘very good’). Furthermore, we found that judgements of products against prices were not only imprecise, but systematically biased. Consumers generally overestimated what products at the top end of the range were worth and underestimated what products at the bottom end of the range were worth, typically by as much as 10-15 per cent and sometimes more. We then systematically increased the complexity of the products, first by adding more attributes, so that the consumers had to take into account, two, three, then four different characteristics of the product simultaneously. One product might be good on attribute A, not so good on attribute B and available at just above the xii | PRICE Lab: An Investigation of Consumers’ Capabilities with Complex Products average price; another might be very good on A, middling on B, but relatively expensive. Each time the consumer’s task was to judge whether the deal was good or bad. We would then add complexity by introducing attribute C, then attribute D, and so on. Thus, consumers had to negotiate multiple trade-offs. Performance deteriorated quite rapidly once multiple attributes were in play. Even the best performers could not integrate all of the product information efficiently – they became substantially more likely to make mistakes. Once people had to consider four product characteristics simultaneously, all of which contributed equally to the monetary value of the product, a surplus of more than half the price range was required for them to identify a good deal reliably. This was a fundamental finding of the present experiments: once consumers had to take into account more than two or three different factors simultaneously their ability to distinguish good and bad deals became strikingly imprecise. This finding therefore offered a clear answer to our primary research question: a product might be considered ‘complex’ once consumers must take into account more than two or three factors simultaneously in order to judge whether a deal is good or bad. Most of the experiments conducted after we obtained these strong initial findings were designed to test whether consumers could improve on this level of performance, perhaps for certain types of products or with sufficient practice, or whether the performance limits uncovered were likely to apply across many different types of product. An examination of individual differences revealed that some people were significantly better than others at judging good deals from bad ones. However the differences were not large in comparison to the overall effects recorded; everyone tested struggled once there were more than two or three product attributes to contend with. People with high levels of numeracy and educational attainment performed slightly better than those without, but the improvement was small. We also found that both the high level of imprecision and systematic bias were not reduced substantially by giving people substantial practice and opportunities to learn – any improvements were slow and incremental. A series of experiments was also designed to test whether consumers’ capability was different depending on the type of product attribute. In our initial experiments the characteristics of the products were all visual (e.g., size, fineness of texture, etc.). We then performed similar experiments where the relevant product information was supplied as numbers (e.g., percentages, amounts) or in categories (e.g., Type A, Rating D, Brand X), to see whether performance might improve. This question is important, as most financial and contractual information is supplied to consumers in a numeric or categorical form. The results showed clearly that the type of product information did not matter for the level of imprecision and bias in consumers’ decisions – the results were essentially the same whether the product attributes were visual, numeric or categorical. What continued to drive performance was how many characteristics the consumer had to judge simultaneously. Thus, our findings were not the result of people failing to perceive or take in information accurately. Rather, the limiting factor in consumers’ capability was how many different factors they had to weigh against each other at the same time. In most of our experiments the characteristics of the product and its monetary value were related by a one-to-one mapping; each extra unit of an attribute added the same amount of monetary value. In other words, the relationships were all linear. Because other findings in behavioural economics suggest that consumers might struggle more with non-linear relationships, we designed experiments to test them. For example, the monetary value of a product might increase more when the amount of one attribute moves from very low to low, than when it moves from high to very high. We found that this made no difference to either the imprecision or bias in consumers’ decisions provided that the relationship was monotonic (i.e. the direction of the relationship was consistent, so that more or less of the attribute always meant more or less monetary value respectively). When the relationship involved a turning point (i.e. more of the attribute meant higher monetary value but only up to a certain point, after which more of the attribute meant less value) consumers’ judgements were more imprecise still. Finally, we tested whether familiarity with the type of product improved performance. In most of the experiments we intentionally used products that were new to the experimental participants. This was done to ensure experimental control and so that we could monitor learning. In the final experiment reported here, we used two familiar products (Dublin houses and residential broadband packages) and tested whether consumers could distinguish good deals from bad deals any better among these familiar products than they could among products that they had never seen before, but which had the same number and type of attributes and price range. We found that consumers’ performance was the same for these familiar products as for unfamiliar ones. Again, what primarily determined the amount of imprecision and bias in consumers’ judgments was the number of attributes that they had to balance against each other, regardless of whether these were familiar or novel. POLICY IMPLICATIONS There is a menu of consumer polices designed to assist consumers in negotiating complex products. A review, including international examples, is given in the main body of the report. The primary aim is often to simplify the consumer’s task. Potential policies, versions of which already exist in various forms and which cover a spectrum of interventionist strength, might include: the provision and endorsement of independent, transparent price comparison websites and other choice engines (e.g. mobile applications, decision software); the provision of high quality independent consumer advice; ‘mandated simplification’, whereby regulations stipulate that providers must present product information in a simplified and standardised format specifically determined by regulation; and more strident interventions such as devising and enforcing prescriptive rules and regulations in relation to permissible product descriptions, product features or price structures. The present findings have implications for such policies. However, while the experimental findings have implications for policy, it needs to be borne in mind that the evidence supplied here is only one factor in determining whether any given intervention in markets is likely to be beneficial. The findings imply that consumers are likely to struggle to choose well in markets with products consisting of multiple important attributes that must all be factored in when making a choice. Interventions that reduce this kind of complexity for consumers may therefore be beneficial, but nothing in the present research addresses the potential costs of such interventions, or how providers are likely to respond to them. The findings are also general in nature and are intended to give insights into consumer choices across markets. There are likely to be additional factors specific to certain markets that need to be considered in any analysis of the costs and benefits of a potential policy change. Most importantly, the policy implications discussed here are not specific to Ireland or to any particular product market. Furthermore, they should not be read as criticisms of existing regulatory regimes, which already go to some lengths in assisting consumers to deal with complex products. Ireland currently has extensive regulations designed to protect consumers, both in general and in specific markets, descriptions of which can be found in Section 9.1 of the main report. Nevertheless, the experiments described here do offer relevant guidance for future policy designs. For instance, they imply that while policies that make it easier for consumers to switch providers may be necessary to encourage active consumers, they may not be sufficient, especially in markets where products are complex. In order for consumers to benefit, policies that help them to identify better deals reliably may also be required, given the scale of inaccuracy in consumers’ decisions that we record in this report when products have multiple important attributes. Where policies are designed to assist consumer decisions, the present findings imply quite severe limits in relation to the volume of information consumers can simultaneously take into account. Good impartial Executive Summary | xv consumer advice may limit the volume of information and focus on ensuring that the most important product attributes are recognised by consumers. The findings also have implications for the role of competition. While consumers may obtain substantial potential benefits from competition, their capabilities when faced with more complex products are likely to reduce such benefits. Pressure from competition requires sufficient numbers of consumers to spot and exploit better value offerings. Given our results, providers with larger market shares may face incentives to increase the complexity of products in an effort to dampen competitive pressure and generate more market power. Where marketing or pricing practices result in prices or attributes with multiple components, our findings imply that consumer choices are likely to become less accurate. Policymakers must of course be careful in determining whether such practices amount to legitimate innovations with potential consumer benefit. Yet there is a genuine danger that spurious complexity can be generated that confuses consumers and protects market power. The results described here provide backing for the promotion and/or provision by policymakers of high-quality independent choice engines, including but not limited to price comparison sites, especially in circumstances where the number of relevant product attributes is high. A longer discussion of the potential benefits and caveats associated with such policies is contained in the main body of the report. Mandated simplification policies are gaining in popularity internationally. Examples include limiting the number of tariffs a single energy company can offer or standardising health insurance products, both of which are designed to simplify the comparisons between prices and/or product attributes. The present research has some implications for what might make a good mandate. Consumer decisions are likely to be improved where a mandate brings to the consumer’s attention the most important product attributes at the point of decision. The present results offer guidance with respect to how many key attributes consumers are able simultaneously to trade off, with implications for the design of standardised disclosures. While bearing in mind the potential for imposing costs, the results also suggest benefits to compulsory ‘meta-attributes’ (such as APRs, energy ratings, total costs, etc.), which may help consumers to integrate otherwise separate sources of information. FUTURE RESEARCH The experiments described here were designed to produce findings that generalise across multiple product markets. However, in addition to the results outlined in this report, the work has resulted in new experimental methods that can be applied to more specific consumer policy issues. This is possible because the methods generate experimental measures of the accuracy of consumers’ decision-making. As such, they can be adapted to assess the quality of consumers’ decisions in relation to specific products, pricing and marketing practices. Work is underway in PRICE Lab that applies these methods to issues in specific markets, including those for personal loans, energy and mobile phones.