Academic literature on the topic 'High-performance transmission'

A scintillating screen is an indispensable component of a slow-scan CCD (charge-coupled-device) camera system for transmission electron microscopy. Its performance is therefore of great concern because of its influence on the overall performance of the system. Screens produced by deposition of phosphor on a thin metal foil appear to be attractive particularly for intermediateand high voltage applications. The metal foil serves three purposes: (1) support for the phosphor; (2) charge conductor; and (3) light reflector. Vacuum deposited, thin aluminum foils serve these purposes well. We report here briefly the brightness and resolution of a scintillating screen composed of a 10 μm layer of P20 phosphor deposited on 2 μm Al foil. More detailed characterization of the screen can be found elsewhere. Results are compared to that of a screen made by depositing a similar layer of phosphor onto a glass plate, and that of a 0.5 mm YAG screen.Fig. 1 illustrates schematically the structure of the aluminum screen.

The paper mainly aims at the common problems existing in driving components, especially in harmonic reducer, RV reduction gear, etc. The paper put forward a new high performance filter transmission mechanism with high reliability, long life, large torque, small volume and lower weight, especially the innovation design method of high performance filter transmission mechanism. The new transmission mechanism is composed of eccentric sleeve, inner meshed planet gear pair of less teeth difference, filter spline pair, three ways thrust bearing and so on. Moreover, the paper has designed the eccentricity and tooth outline, made numerical simulation of the meshing process with pressure angle of 30, calculated the transmission efficiency, and checked the intensity of wheels. Furthermore, the paper has operated comprehensive tests about transmission precision, rigidity, backlash, and transmission efficiency.

Acoustically treated, lined ducts are used in a wide range of applications, one of which is a transmission-line loudspeaker (TLL), which consists of a long, acoustically-lined, folded duct attached to the rear of the loudspeaker driver. Consequently, knowledge and understanding of sound propagation within acoustically treated ducts is essential in order to be able to create and analyse designs for the intended applications. The lowfrequency driver of a loudspeaker creates pressure fluctuations on both sides of the diaphragm. Therefore, a loudspeaker cabinet of some sort is required to control the sound radiation from the rear of the driver and to prevent the unwanted interference of those sounds with that radiated from the front of the loudspeaker. The transmission-line loudspeakers are however, designed and optimized to control this rear driver radiations by redirecting the pressure at the back of the driver and use them to extend the overall low-frequency response of the loudspeaker system. Transmission-line loudspeakers rely on the use of sound absorbing materials and, although attempts at modelling the performance of these have been reported in the literature, most transmission-line loudspeakers are designed empirically, using a combination of experience and trial-and-error. This project is concerned with creating and evaluating an engineering method of accurately modelling the sound propagating inside the transmission-line loudspeaker waveguides. Loudspeaker systems inherently suffer from an insufficient low-frequency response, due to their inefficiency at low-frequencies. Therefore, TLL rely on the use of sound absorbing materials added on their internal boundaries to extend their overall response of the loudspeaker at the lowfrequency region. The acoustic load on the driver and the sound radiated from the open end of the TLL duct both depend upon the propagation of sound through the duct; and the physical length of the duct determines the frequencies that can propagate within it. The addition of sound absorbing materials along the interior boundaries of the TLL reduces the speed of propagating sound within it, causing the TLL to respond such as having a much longer internal waveguide, consequently accommodating far lower frequencies within the TLL duct, extending the overall response of the loudspeaker system. The characteristics of sound propagation through a variety of two-dimensional and three-dimensional acoustically lined ducts at low-frequencies have been analyzed. Analytical models of straight ducts have been compared with the developed numerical models. In this research dissipative mufflers, that consist of ducts lined on the inside with an acoustically absorptive material, have been considered. Starting with the propagation of sound within hard-walled boundary condition ducts, this investigation moves to the modelling of waveguides treated with locally-reacting acoustic liners and next into the analysis of ducts treated with bulk-reacting acoustic absorbent materials; two kinds of excitations have been considered, namely pistonic and non-uniform excitation. The impedance mismatch and acoustic dissipation between the sound absorbing layer and the free propagation within the duct has been modelled numerically, and the results have been compared with the in-situ measurements conducted on a range of acoustically treated and purpose built transmission-line loudspeakers. A wide range of sound absorbing materials, namely fibrous and porous absorbers, have been characterized using their low-resistivity and acoustic impedance. Based on their individual characteristics, acoustical optimization was applied on a simple geometry U-shaped TLL duct.

The Linux Kernel protocol stack is getting more and more additions as time goes by. As new technologies arise, more functions are implemented and might result is a certain amount of bloat. However new methods have been added to the kernel to circumvent common throughput issues and to maximize overall performances, given certain circumstances. To assess the ability of the kernel to produce packets at a given rate, we will use the pktgen tool. Pktgen is a loadable kernel module dedicated to trac generation based on UDP. Its philosophy was to be in a low position in the kernel protocol stack to minimize the amount of overhead caused by usual APIs. As measurements are usually done in packets per second instead of bandwidth, the UDP protocol makes perfect sense to minimize the amount of time creating a packet. It has several options which will be investigated, and for further insights its transmission algorithm will be analysed. But a software is not just a compiled piece of code, it is a set of instructions ran on top of hardware. And this hardware may or may not comply with the design of one's software, making the execution slower than expected or in extreme cases even not functional. This thesis aims to investigate the maximum capabilities of Linux packet transmissions in high-speed networks, e.g. 10 Gigabits or 40 Gigabits. To go deeper into the understanding of the kernel behaviour during transmission we will use proling tools, as perf and the newly adopted eBPF framework.
Linux Kernel protokollstacken blir fler och fler tillägg som tiden går. Som ny teknik uppstår, fler funktioner har genomförts och kan leda till en viss mängd svälla. Men nya metoder har lagts till kärnan för att kringgå vanliga genomströmning problem och att maximera den totala föreställningar, med tanke på vissa omständigheter. Att fastställa förmågan hos kärnan för att producera paket med en given hastighet, kommer vi att använda pktgen verktyget. Pktgen är en laddbar kärnmodul tillägnad trafik generation baserad på UDP. Dess filosofi var att vara i en låg position i kärnan protokollstacken för att minimera mängden av overhead orsakad av vanliga API:er. Som mätningarna görs vanligtvis i paket per sekund i stället för bandbredd, gör UDP-protokollet vettigt att minimera mängden tid på att skapa ett paket. Det har flera alternativ som kommer att undersökas, och för ytterligare insikter sin sändningsalgoritmen kommer att analyseras. Men en programvara är inte bara en kompilerad bit kod, är det en uppsättning instruktioner sprang ovanpå hårdvara. Och den här maskinvaran kan eller inte kan följa med utformningen av en programvara, vilket gör utförandet långsammare än väntat eller i extrema fall även fungerar inte. Denna avhandling syftar till att undersöka de maximala kapacitet Linux paketsändningar i höghastighetsnät, t.ex. 10 gigabit eller 40 Gigabit. För att gå djupare in i förståelsen av kärnan beteende under överföringen kommer vi att använda profilverktyg, som perf och det nyligen antagna ramen eBPF.

Output impedance matching for transmission line drivers is not easy to implement due to unavoidable process tolerances. An automatic system for adjusting the output impedance of fast CMOS drivers, on one chip, is described. The output impedance of all identical drivers is adjusted to match the impedance at the input of a reference transmission line, equal in geometry to the lines connected to the other drivers, by a circuit for measuring and correcting the mismatch between the output impedance of one of the drivers, taken as reference and dedicated for this purpose. The voltage measured at the far end of the reference line is sent to a differential amplifier where it is compared with the supply voltage of the final driving stage. According to the comparison result at specific time intervals, a signal is supplied to the regulator which supplies power to the penultimate driving stage, thereby controlling the resistance of the driver to match the line impedance. Simulations have shown that the percentage deviations of the far-end line voltage is approximately 3% for this design compared to a system without feedback which has a far-end line voltage deviation of approximately 18%.

Novel techniques for high-performance wireless power transmission and data interfacing with implantable medical devices (IMDs) were proposed. Several system- and circuit-level techniques were developed towards the design of a novel wireless data and power transmission link for a multi-channel inductively-powered wireless implantable neural-recording and stimulation system. Such wireless data and power transmission techniques have promising prospects for use in IMDs such as biosensors and neural recording/stimulation devices, neural interfacing experiments in enriched environments, radio-frequency identification (RFID), smartcards, near-field communication (NFC), wireless sensors, and charging mobile devices and electric vehicles. The contributions in wireless power transfer are the development of an RFID-based closed-loop power transmission system, a high-performance 3-coil link with optimal design procedure, circuit-based theoretical foundation for magnetic-resonance-based power transmission using multiple coils, a figure-of-merit for designing high-performance inductive links, a low-power and adaptive power management and data transceiver ASIC to be used as a general-purpose power module for wireless electrophysiology experiments, and a Q-modulated inductive link for automatic load matching. In wireless data transfer, the contributions are the development of a new modulation technique called pulse-delay modulation for low-power and wideband near-field data communication and a pulse-width-modulation impulse-radio ultra-wideband transceiver for low-power and wideband far-field data transmission.

This thesis concerns a study of the performance of an industrial low-speed high-torque hydrostatic drive system. This type of hydrostatic transmission is commonly used in continuous operation in a wide range of heavy-duty drive applications. In many applications the transmissions have to compete with e.g. electromechanical drives, such as DC or AC electric motors combined with gearboxes. In such situations, energy efficiency is a key selection criterion in that even a small increase in the efficiency of high power industrial drives would give substantial savings. Apart from efficiency, lifetime and reliability requirements are important parameters for industrial drive systems, as unplanned stops in industrial working processes can be very costly. The work presented in this thesis is primarily focused on analysing the efficiency behaviour in the transmission, both on the system level and on the component level. Attention has also been paid to lifetime issues, with special emphasis on wear occurring in a sliding contact in a radial piston hydraulic motor. In Paper A the distribution of power losses in a variable axial piston swash plate pump is investigated. The pump under study is commonly used in stationary industrial hydrostatic transmission systems. The churning losses in the pump have been estimated experimentally by measurements in a test rig. The leakage flow and the power losses in the contacts between the piston and the cylinder and between the slipper and the swash plate respectively were simulated with the help of the simulation tool CASPAR. For the pump studied, the churning losses are significant under the operating conditions typically occurring in industrial drive applications. The simulation results indicate that the leakage to the pump casing mainly originates from the gaps between the pistons and their respective cylinders and between the slippers and swash plate. The aim of Paper B is to study two sliding contacts inside a radial piston hydraulic motor and investigate their influence on the torque and power losses. Moreover, it is investigated whether and when a change in the lubrication regime can be expected in these contacts. This is accomplished by a combination of experimental and theoretical studies, with a special focus on two lubricated sliding contacts: the distributor valve contact and the piston/cam roller contact. The theoretical analysis of the contacts indicates, among other things, that the piston/cam roller contact can enter the mixed lubrication regime at low motor speeds. At low running speeds, an increased wear rate has been noted in the contact between the cylinder bore and the piston skirt in a radial piston hydraulic motor. Paper C describes a comparative investigation into different hydraulic fluids' friction properties and wear protection abilities. To simulate the contact between the cylinder bore and the piston skirt in the hydraulic motor, tests were performed in a reciprocating test rig where the contact geometry was of the cylinder-plate type. In the model test a synthetic ester aimed at meeting the conditions in water turbine applications received a top ranking regarding both friction and wear protection properties.
Godkänd; 2003; 20070217 (ysko)

D’importants progès ont été réalisés dans le développement des systèmes biomédicaux implantables grâce aux dernières avancées de la microélectronique et des technologies sans fil. Néanmoins, ces appareils restent difficiles à commercialier. Cette situation est due particulièrement à un manque de stratégies de design capable supporter les fonctionnalités exigées, aux limites de miniaturisation, ainsi qu’au manque d’interface sans fil à haut débit fiable et faible puissance capable de connecter les implants et les périphériques externes. Le nombre de sites de stimulation et/ou d’électrodes d’enregistrement retrouvés dans les dernières interfaces cerveau-ordinateur (IMC) ne cesse de croître afin d’augmenter la précision de contrôle, et d’améliorer notre compréhension des fonctions cérébrales. Ce nombre est appelé à atteindre un millier de site à court terme, ce qui exige des débits de données atteingnant facilement les 500 Mbps. Ceci étant dit, ces travaux visent à élaborer de nouvelles stratégies innovantes de conception de dispositifs biomédicaux implantables afin de repousser les limites mentionnées ci-dessus. On présente de nouvelles techniques faible puissance beaucoup plus performantes pour le transfert d’énergie et de données sans fil à haut débit ainsi que l’analyse et la réalisation de ces dernières grâce à des prototypes microélectroniques CMOS. Dans un premier temps, ces travaux exposent notre nouvelle structure multibobine inductive à résonance présentant une puissance sans fil distribuée uniformément pour alimenter des systèmes miniatures d’étude du cerveaux avec des models animaux en ilberté ainsi que des dispositifs médicaux implantbles sans fil qui se caractérisent par une capacité de positionnement libre. La structure propose un lien de résonance multibobines inductive, dont le résonateur principal est constitué d’une multitude de résonateurs identiques disposés dans une matrice de bobines carrées. Ces dernières sont connectées en parallèle afin de réaliser des surfaces de puissance (2D) ainsi qu’une chambre d’alimentation (3D). La chambre proposée utilise deux matrices de résonateurs de base, mises face à face et connectés en parallèle afin d’obtenir une distribution d’énergie uniforme en 3D. Chaque surface comprend neuf bobines superposées, connectées en parallèle et réailsées sur une carte de circuit imprimé deux couches FR4. La chambre dispose d’un mécanisme naturel de localisation de puissance qui facilite sa mise en oeuvre et son fonctionnement. En procédant ainsi, nous évitons la nécessité d’une détection active de l’emplacement de la charge et le contrôle d’alimentation. Notre approche permet à cette surface d’alimentation unique de fournir une efficacité de transfert de puissance (PTE) de 69% et une puissance délivrée à la charge (PDL) de 120 mW, pour une distance de séparation de 4 cm, tandis que le prototype de chambre complet fournit un PTE uniforme de 59% et un PDL de 100 mW en 3D, partout à l’intérieur de la chambre avec un volume de chambre de 27 × 27 × 16 cm3. Une étape critique avant d’utiliser un dispositif implantable chez les humains consiste à vérifier ses fonctionnalités sur des sujets animaux. Par conséquent, la chambre d’énergie sans fil conçue sera utilisée afin de caractériser les performances d’ une interface sans fil de transmisison de données dans un environnement réaliste in vivo avec positionement libre. Un émetteur-récepteur full-duplex (FDT) entièrement intégré qui se caractérise par sa faible puissance est conçu pour réaliser une interfaces bi-directionnelles (stimulation et enregistrement) avec des débits asymétriques: des taux de tramnsmission plus élevés sont nécessaires pour l’enregistrement électrophysiologique multicanal (signaux de liaison montante) alors que les taux moins élevés sont utilisés pour la stimulation (les signaux de liaison descendante). L’émetteur (TX) et le récepteur (RX) se partagent une seule antenne afin de réduire la taille de l’implant. L’émetteur utilise la radio ultra-large bande par impulsions (IR-UWB) basée sur l’approche edge combining et le RX utilise la bande ISM (Industrielle, Scientifique et Médicale) de fréquence central 2.4 GHz et la modulation on-off-keying (OOK). Une bonne isolation (> 20 dB) est obtenue entre le TX et le RX grâce à 1) la mise en forme les impulsions émises dans le spectre UWB non réglementée (3.1-7 GHz), et 2) le filtrage espace-efficace (évitant l’utilisation d’un circulateur ou d’un diplexeur) du spectre du lien de communication descendant directement au niveau de l’ amplificateur à faible bruit (LNA). L’émetteur UWB 3.1-7 GHz utilise un e modultion OOK ainsi qu’une modulation par déplacement de phase (BPSK) à seulement 10.8 pJ / bits. Le FDT proposé permet d’atteindre 500 Mbps de débit de données en lien montant et 100 Mbps de débit de données de lien descendant. Il est entièrement intégré dans un procédé TSMC CMOS 0.18 um standard et possède une taille totale de 0.8 mm2. La consommation totale d’énergie mesurée est de 10.4 mW (5 mW pour RX et 5.4 mW pour TX au taux de 500 Mbps).
In recent years, there has been major progress on implantable biomedical systems that support most of the functionalities of wireless implantable devices. Nevertheless, these devices remain mostly restricted to be commercialized, in part due to weakness of a straightforward design to support the required functionalities, limitation on miniaturization, and lack of a reliable low-power high data rate interface between implants and external devices. This research provides novel strategies on the design of implantable biomedical devices that addresses these limitations by presenting analysis and techniques for wireless power transfer and efficient data transfer. The first part of this research includes our proposed novel resonance-based multicoil inductive power link structure with uniform power distribution to wirelessly power up smart animal research systems and implanted medical devices with high power efficiency and free positioning capability. The proposed structure consists of a multicoil resonance inductive link, which primary resonator array is made of several identical resonators enclosed in a scalable array of overlapping square coils that are connected in parallel and arranged in power surface (2D) and power chamber (3D) configurations. The proposed chamber uses two arrays of primary resonators, facing each other, and connected in parallel to achieve uniform power distribution in 3D. Each surface includes 9 overlapped coils connected in parallel and implemented into two layers of FR4 printed circuit board. The chamber features a natural power localization mechanism, which simplifies its implementation and eases its operation by avoiding the need for active detection of the load location and power control mechanisms. A single power surface based on the proposed approach can provide a power transfer efficiency (PTE) of 69% and a power delivered to the load (PDL) of 120 mW, for a separation distance of 4 cm, whereas the complete chamber prototype provides a uniform PTE of 59% and a PDL of 100 mW in 3D, everywhere inside the chamber with a chamber size of 27×27×16 cm3. The second part of this research includes our proposed novel, fully-integrated, low-power fullduplex transceiver (FDT) to support bi-directional neural interfacing applications (stimulating and recording) with asymmetric data rates: higher rates are required for recording (uplink signals) than stimulation (downlink signals). The transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) share a single antenna to reduce implant size. The TX uses impulse radio ultra-wide band (IR-UWB) based on an edge combining approach, and the RX uses a novel 2.4-GHz on-off keying (OOK) receiver. Proper isolation (> 20 dB) between the TX and RX path is implemented 1) by shaping the transmitted pulses to fall within the unregulated UWB spectrum (3.1-7 GHz), and 2) by space-efficient filtering (avoiding a circulator or diplexer) of the downlink OOK spectrum in the RX low-noise amplifier (LNA). The UWB 3.1-7 GHz transmitter using OOK and binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulations at only 10.8 pJ/bit. The proposed FDT provides dual band 500 Mbps TX uplink data rate and 100 Mbps RX downlink data rate. It is fully integrated on standard TSMC 0.18 nm CMOS within a total size of 0.8 mm2. The total power consumption measured 10.4 mW (5 mW for RX and 5.4 mW for TX at the rate of 500 Mbps).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2002.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-123). Also available in electronic version. Access restricted to campus users.

There exists the potential for major simplifications to current hybrid transmission architectures, which can lead to advances in powertrain performance. This paper assesses the technical merits of various hybrid powertrains in the context of high-performance vehicles and introduces a new transmission concept targeted at high performance hybrid applications. While many hybrid transmission configurations have been developed and implemented in mainstream and even luxury vehicles, ultra high performance sports cars have only recently begun to hybridize. The unique performance requirements of such vehicles place novel constraints on their transmissions designs. The goals become less about improved efficiency and smoothness and more centered on weight reduction, complexity reduction, and performance improvement. To identify the most critical aspects of a high performance transmission, a wide range of existing technologies is studied in concert with basic physical performance analysis of electrical motors and an internal combustion engine. The new transmission concepts presented here emphasize a reduction in inertial, frictional, and mechanical losses. A series of conceptual powertrain designs are evaluated against the goals of reducing mechanical complexity and maintaining functionality. The major innovation in these concepts is the elimination of a friction clutch to engage and disengage gears. Instead, the design proposes that the inclusion of a large electric motor enables the gears to be speed-matched and torque-zeroed without the inherent losses associated with a friction clutch. Additionally, these transmission concepts explore the merits of multiple electric motors and their placement as well as the reduction in synchronization interfaces. Ultimately, two strategies for speed-matched gear sets are considered, and a speed-matching prototype of the chosen methodology is presented to validate the feasibility of the proposed concept. The power flow and operational modes of both transmission architectures are studied to ensure required functionality and identify further areas of optimization. While there are still many unanswered questions about this concept, this paper introduces the base analysis and proof of concept for a technology that has great potential to advance hybrid vehicles at all levels.

Theory suggests that employee trust is key to productivity in organizations, but empirical evidence documenting links between trust and constraints on performance is scarce. This paper analyzes self-collected data on public sector employees from eighteen Latin American countries and finds that individual-level trust is relevant to three types of performance factors. First, high-trust employees are more willing to collaborate and share information with coworkers and are more supportive of technological innovation. Second, high-trust respondents have different perceptions of organizational constraints: they are less concerned with low staff quality or lack of discretion to innovate, and more concerned with staff shortages. Third, trust in coworkers is associated with stronger mission motivation. Instrumental variable strategies based on the transmission of trust through social and professional channels account for potential sources of endogeneity. A survey experiment on preferences for social distancing policies provides further evidence that trust enhances mission motivation: employee policy preferences align better with the implied government policy when their trust in the public sector is higher.

Theory suggests that employee trust is key to productivity in organizations, but empirical evidence documenting links between trust and constraints on performance is scarce. This paper analyzes self-collected data on public sector employees from eighteen Latin American countries and finds that individual-level trust is relevant to three types of performance factors. First, high-trust employees are more willing to collaborate and share information with coworkers and are more supportive of technological innovation. Second, high-trust respondents have different perceptions of organizational constraints: they are less concerned with low staff quality or lack of discretion to innovate, and more concerned with staff shortages. Third, trust in coworkers is associated with stronger mission motivation. Instrumental variable strategies based on the transmission of trust through social and professional channels account for potential sources of endogeneity. A survey experiment on preferences for social distancing policies provides further evidence that trust enhances mission motivation: employee policy preferences align better with the implied government policy when their trust in the public sector is higher.

Hurricanes are one of the main causes for blackouts and related infrastructure damage in the United States. Electrical transmission towers, which are key parts of the electrical transmission networks, are vulnerable to high wind speeds during storms. Collapse of transmission towers may lead to a loss of functionality of transmission lines. This research focuses on regional analysis of electrical transmission networks under hurricane hazards through developing beam elements for analyzing transmission towers, selection of hurricane wind records that incorporate uncertainty quantification, generating collapse fragility curves for transmission towers, and regional damage assessment of transmission networks.

1.1 Macroeconomic summary Economic recovery has consistently outperformed the technical staff’s expectations following a steep decline in activity in the second quarter of 2020. At the same time, total and core inflation rates have fallen and remain at low levels, suggesting that a significant element of the reactivation of Colombia’s economy has been related to recovery in potential GDP. This would support the technical staff’s diagnosis of weak aggregate demand and ample excess capacity. The most recently available data on 2020 growth suggests a contraction in economic activity of 6.8%, lower than estimates from January’s Monetary Policy Report (-7.2%). High-frequency indicators suggest that economic performance was significantly more dynamic than expected in January, despite mobility restrictions and quarantine measures. This has also come amid declines in total and core inflation, the latter of which was below January projections if controlling for certain relative price changes. This suggests that the unexpected strength of recent growth contains elements of demand, and that excess capacity, while significant, could be lower than previously estimated. Nevertheless, uncertainty over the measurement of excess capacity continues to be unusually high and marked both by variations in the way different economic sectors and spending components have been affected by the pandemic, and by uneven price behavior. The size of excess capacity, and in particular the evolution of the pandemic in forthcoming quarters, constitute substantial risks to the macroeconomic forecast presented in this report. Despite the unexpected strength of the recovery, the technical staff continues to project ample excess capacity that is expected to remain on the forecast horizon, alongside core inflation that will likely remain below the target. Domestic demand remains below 2019 levels amid unusually significant uncertainty over the size of excess capacity in the economy. High national unemployment (14.6% for February 2021) reflects a loose labor market, while observed total and core inflation continue to be below 2%. Inflationary pressures from the exchange rate are expected to continue to be low, with relatively little pass-through on inflation. This would be compatible with a negative output gap. Excess productive capacity and the expectation of core inflation below the 3% target on the forecast horizon provide a basis for an expansive monetary policy posture. The technical staff’s assessment of certain shocks and their expected effects on the economy, as well as the presence of several sources of uncertainty and related assumptions about their potential macroeconomic impacts, remain a feature of this report. The coronavirus pandemic, in particular, continues to affect the public health environment, and the reopening of Colombia’s economy remains incomplete. The technical staff’s assessment is that the COVID-19 shock has affected both aggregate demand and supply, but that the impact on demand has been deeper and more persistent. Given this persistence, the central forecast accounts for a gradual tightening of the output gap in the absence of new waves of contagion, and as vaccination campaigns progress. The central forecast continues to include an expected increase of total and core inflation rates in the second quarter of 2021, alongside the lapse of the temporary price relief measures put in place in 2020. Additional COVID-19 outbreaks (of uncertain duration and intensity) represent a significant risk factor that could affect these projections. Additionally, the forecast continues to include an upward trend in sovereign risk premiums, reflected by higher levels of public debt that in the wake of the pandemic are likely to persist on the forecast horizon, even in the context of a fiscal adjustment. At the same time, the projection accounts for the shortterm effects on private domestic demand from a fiscal adjustment along the lines of the one currently being proposed by the national government. This would be compatible with a gradual recovery of private domestic demand in 2022. The size and characteristics of the fiscal adjustment that is ultimately implemented, as well as the corresponding market response, represent another source of forecast uncertainty. Newly available information offers evidence of the potential for significant changes to the macroeconomic scenario, though without altering the general diagnosis described above. The most recent data on inflation, growth, fiscal policy, and international financial conditions suggests a more dynamic economy than previously expected. However, a third wave of the pandemic has delayed the re-opening of Colombia’s economy and brought with it a deceleration in economic activity. Detailed descriptions of these considerations and subsequent changes to the macroeconomic forecast are presented below. The expected annual decline in GDP (-0.3%) in the first quarter of 2021 appears to have been less pronounced than projected in January (-4.8%). Partial closures in January to address a second wave of COVID-19 appear to have had a less significant negative impact on the economy than previously estimated. This is reflected in figures related to mobility, energy demand, industry and retail sales, foreign trade, commercial transactions from selected banks, and the national statistics agency’s (DANE) economic tracking indicator (ISE). Output is now expected to have declined annually in the first quarter by 0.3%. Private consumption likely continued to recover, registering levels somewhat above those from the previous year, while public consumption likely increased significantly. While a recovery in investment in both housing and in other buildings and structures is expected, overall investment levels in this case likely continued to be low, and gross fixed capital formation is expected to continue to show significant annual declines. Imports likely recovered to again outpace exports, though both are expected to register significant annual declines. Economic activity that outpaced projections, an increase in oil prices and other export products, and an expected increase in public spending this year account for the upward revision to the 2021 growth forecast (from 4.6% with a range between 2% and 6% in January, to 6.0% with a range between 3% and 7% in April). As a result, the output gap is expected to be smaller and to tighten more rapidly than projected in the previous report, though it is still expected to remain in negative territory on the forecast horizon. Wide forecast intervals reflect the fact that the future evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic remains a significant source of uncertainty on these projections. The delay in the recovery of economic activity as a result of the resurgence of COVID-19 in the first quarter appears to have been less significant than projected in the January report. The central forecast scenario expects this improved performance to continue in 2021 alongside increased consumer and business confidence. Low real interest rates and an active credit supply would also support this dynamic, and the overall conditions would be expected to spur a recovery in consumption and investment. Increased growth in public spending and public works based on the national government’s spending plan (Plan Financiero del Gobierno) are other factors to consider. Additionally, an expected recovery in global demand and higher projected prices for oil and coffee would further contribute to improved external revenues and would favor investment, in particular in the oil sector. Given the above, the technical staff’s 2021 growth forecast has been revised upward from 4.6% in January (range from 2% to 6%) to 6.0% in April (range from 3% to 7%). These projections account for the potential for the third wave of COVID-19 to have a larger and more persistent effect on the economy than the previous wave, while also supposing that there will not be any additional significant waves of the pandemic and that mobility restrictions will be relaxed as a result. Economic growth in 2022 is expected to be 3%, with a range between 1% and 5%. This figure would be lower than projected in the January report (3.6% with a range between 2% and 6%), due to a higher base of comparison given the upward revision to expected GDP in 2021. This forecast also takes into account the likely effects on private demand of a fiscal adjustment of the size currently being proposed by the national government, and which would come into effect in 2022. Excess in productive capacity is now expected to be lower than estimated in January but continues to be significant and affected by high levels of uncertainty, as reflected in the wide forecast intervals. The possibility of new waves of the virus (of uncertain intensity and duration) represents a significant downward risk to projected GDP growth, and is signaled by the lower limits of the ranges provided in this report. Inflation (1.51%) and inflation excluding food and regulated items (0.94%) declined in March compared to December, continuing below the 3% target. The decline in inflation in this period was below projections, explained in large part by unanticipated increases in the costs of certain foods (3.92%) and regulated items (1.52%). An increase in international food and shipping prices, increased foreign demand for beef, and specific upward pressures on perishable food supplies appear to explain a lower-than-expected deceleration in the consumer price index (CPI) for foods. An unexpected increase in regulated items prices came amid unanticipated increases in international fuel prices, on some utilities rates, and for regulated education prices. The decline in annual inflation excluding food and regulated items between December and March was in line with projections from January, though this included downward pressure from a significant reduction in telecommunications rates due to the imminent entry of a new operator. When controlling for the effects of this relative price change, inflation excluding food and regulated items exceeds levels forecast in the previous report. Within this indicator of core inflation, the CPI for goods (1.05%) accelerated due to a reversion of the effects of the VAT-free day in November, which was largely accounted for in February, and possibly by the transmission of a recent depreciation of the peso on domestic prices for certain items (electric and household appliances). For their part, services prices decelerated and showed the lowest rate of annual growth (0.89%) among the large consumer baskets in the CPI. Within the services basket, the annual change in rental prices continued to decline, while those services that continue to experience the most significant restrictions on returning to normal operations (tourism, cinemas, nightlife, etc.) continued to register significant price declines. As previously mentioned, telephone rates also fell significantly due to increased competition in the market. Total inflation is expected to continue to be affected by ample excesses in productive capacity for the remainder of 2021 and 2022, though less so than projected in January. As a result, convergence to the inflation target is now expected to be somewhat faster than estimated in the previous report, assuming the absence of significant additional outbreaks of COVID-19. The technical staff’s year-end inflation projections for 2021 and 2022 have increased, suggesting figures around 3% due largely to variation in food and regulated items prices. The projection for inflation excluding food and regulated items also increased, but remains below 3%. Price relief measures on indirect taxes implemented in 2020 are expected to lapse in the second quarter of 2021, generating a one-off effect on prices and temporarily affecting inflation excluding food and regulated items. However, indexation to low levels of past inflation, weak demand, and ample excess productive capacity are expected to keep core inflation below the target, near 2.3% at the end of 2021 (previously 2.1%). The reversion in 2021 of the effects of some price relief measures on utility rates from 2020 should lead to an increase in the CPI for regulated items in the second half of this year. Annual price changes are now expected to be higher than estimated in the January report due to an increased expected path for fuel prices and unanticipated increases in regulated education prices. The projection for the CPI for foods has increased compared to the previous report, taking into account certain factors that were not anticipated in January (a less favorable agricultural cycle, increased pressure from international prices, and transport costs). Given the above, year-end annual inflation for 2021 and 2022 is now expected to be 3% and 2.8%, respectively, which would be above projections from January (2.3% and 2,7%). For its part, expected inflation based on analyst surveys suggests year-end inflation in 2021 and 2022 of 2.8% and 3.1%, respectively. There remains significant uncertainty surrounding the inflation forecasts included in this report due to several factors: 1) the evolution of the pandemic; 2) the difficulty in evaluating the size and persistence of excess productive capacity; 3) the timing and manner in which price relief measures will lapse; and 4) the future behavior of food prices. Projected 2021 growth in foreign demand (4.4% to 5.2%) and the supposed average oil price (USD 53 to USD 61 per Brent benchmark barrel) were both revised upward. An increase in long-term international interest rates has been reflected in a depreciation of the peso and could result in relatively tighter external financial conditions for emerging market economies, including Colombia. Average growth among Colombia’s trade partners was greater than expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. This, together with a sizable fiscal stimulus approved in the United States and the onset of a massive global vaccination campaign, largely explains the projected increase in foreign demand growth in 2021. The resilience of the goods market in the face of global crisis and an expected normalization in international trade are additional factors. These considerations and the expected continuation of a gradual reduction of mobility restrictions abroad suggest that Colombia’s trade partners could grow on average by 5.2% in 2021 and around 3.4% in 2022. The improved prospects for global economic growth have led to an increase in current and expected oil prices. Production interruptions due to a heavy winter, reduced inventories, and increased supply restrictions instituted by producing countries have also contributed to the increase. Meanwhile, market forecasts and recent Federal Reserve pronouncements suggest that the benchmark interest rate in the U.S. will remain stable for the next two years. Nevertheless, a significant increase in public spending in the country has fostered expectations for greater growth and inflation, as well as increased uncertainty over the moment in which a normalization of monetary policy might begin. This has been reflected in an increase in long-term interest rates. In this context, emerging market economies in the region, including Colombia, have registered increases in sovereign risk premiums and long-term domestic interest rates, and a depreciation of local currencies against the dollar. Recent outbreaks of COVID-19 in several of these economies; limits on vaccine supply and the slow pace of immunization campaigns in some countries; a significant increase in public debt; and tensions between the United States and China, among other factors, all add to a high level of uncertainty surrounding interest rate spreads, external financing conditions, and the future performance of risk premiums. The impact that this environment could have on the exchange rate and on domestic financing conditions represent risks to the macroeconomic and monetary policy forecasts. Domestic financial conditions continue to favor recovery in economic activity. The transmission of reductions to the policy interest rate on credit rates has been significant. The banking portfolio continues to recover amid circumstances that have affected both the supply and demand for loans, and in which some credit risks have materialized. Preferential and ordinary commercial interest rates have fallen to a similar degree as the benchmark interest rate. As is generally the case, this transmission has come at a slower pace for consumer credit rates, and has been further delayed in the case of mortgage rates. Commercial credit levels stabilized above pre-pandemic levels in March, following an increase resulting from significant liquidity requirements for businesses in the second quarter of 2020. The consumer credit portfolio continued to recover and has now surpassed February 2020 levels, though overall growth in the portfolio remains low. At the same time, portfolio projections and default indicators have increased, and credit establishment earnings have come down. Despite this, credit disbursements continue to recover and solvency indicators remain well above regulatory minimums. 1.2 Monetary policy decision In its meetings in March and April the BDBR left the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1.75%.

Many women in the developing world still lack access to high-quality HIV/AIDS prevention and care services. To address this problem, Horizons has undertaken a range of operations research efforts that examine the integration of HIV-related care in the maternal-child health setting. At a workshop held in Kenya in July 2001, participants discussed the experience to date and formulated practical strategies for improving the integration. This consultation report summarizes that discussion according to the following seven key program components: Training and Motivation to Improve the Performance of Health Workers; Supervision of HIV Services and Quality Assurance of HIV Testing; Caring for Mothers; Voluntary Counseling and Testing Services; Counseling on Infant Feeding; Provision of Antiretroviral Drugs to Reduce Mother-to-Child Transmission; Involving Male Partners.

The composite rigid-frame bridge, where the steel girder and the reinforced concrete (RC) pier are rigidly connected, has a high bearing capacity and superior long-term performance. The steel girder-RC pier connection is the critical detail for the design of such a structural form. To this end, a detailed review of composite rigid-frame bridges in China and abroad was carried out to summarize various forms of connections and evaluate their applicability. A novel connection type was then proposed to improve the connective performance between steel plate girders and RC piers. Threedimensional finite element models were further developed to investigate the force transfer mechanism, accounting for the impact of concrete stress, shear force in the connectors, and stress of steel plates. The results indicated that the proposed connection was capable of transmitting external loads reliably, and its ultimate bearing capacity exceeded design loads. The shear force of perfobond connectors, the tension of reinforcement, and the bearing effect of the bottom flange provided the major force transmission path to resist the external load.

Due to its advantages of good mechanical properties, simple appearance and strong adaptability, the steel box girder is being widely utilized in urban bridges. The noise radiated by steel box girders subjected to vehicle impacts has the characteristics of wide-spectrum, high-magnitude and control difficulty. U-rib stiffened roof, as a part of the steel box girder, directly bears the input load, which is the basis of studying the vibration of the steel box girder. Currently, the investigation on the vibro-acoustic performance of U-rib plates is very limited. With this regard, this paper introduces the concept of Structural Intensity (SI). The SI vector is calculated by the Finite Element (FE) method. The power flow is visualized by the self-programming post-processing code. The global and local vibration energy transmission characters of a U-rib stiffened plate under a harmonic nodal force are analyzed. Further, the influence of plate thickness is investigated. The optimum design is carried out based on the engineering standard dimensions. The research results indicate that increasing the thickness ratio of the U-rib to the baseplate is beneficial to reducing the vibration.