Academic literature on the topic 'Targets (Shooting) in art'

The front-end bottleneck is a well-established problem in server workloads owing to their deep software stacks and large instruction footprints. Despite years of research into effective L1-I and BTB prefetching, state-of-the-art techniques force a trade-off between metadata storage cost and performance. Temporal Stream prefetchers deliver high performance but require a prohibitive amount of metadata to accommodate the temporal history. Meanwhile, BTB-directed prefetchers incur low cost by using the existing in-core branch prediction structures but fall short on performance due to BTB’s inability to capture the massive control flow working set of server applications. This work overcomes the fundamental limitation of BTB-directed prefetchers, which is capturing a large control flow working set within an affordable BTB storage budget. We re-envision the BTB organization to maximize its control flow coverage by observing that an application’s instruction footprint can be mapped as a combination of its unconditional branch working set and, for each unconditional branch, a spatial encoding of the cache blocks around the branch target. Effectively capturing a map of the application’s instruction footprint in the BTB enables highly effective BTB-directed prefetching that outperforms the state-of-the-art prefetchers by up to 10% for equivalent storage budget.

Nun's Fret Not is a photomontage project that tells the story of a nun who, following an epiphany, embarks with her convent on becoming a “missionary artist” through a study-by-mail artist's course, and her subsequent disillusionment. A continuation of the work begun in icehouse in 2010, it re-contextualizes Kovitz's previous art work into a meta-narrative that examines recurrent themes in his art practice: artist and audience, success and obscurity, art market and art education, dominant cultures and subcultures. All characters in this project share the same face– the face of Litmus– an alter ego Kovitz made for his work based on an FBI shooting target. In the next installment of this project the nun will undergo a sex change and become a capitalist…

With ongoing war in the Donbas, war narratives and war images saturate public media in Ukraine, the discourse contaminated by ideological remnants of the Soviet World War II cult and by fake news. Art that deals with war wounds can subvert the familiar visual language of war propaganda, where the suffering of victims is a mere pretext for touting the inevitable triumph of the heroes. Currently in Ukraine, the most prolific art in this regard is produced by women-artists who address the trauma of war through painting and installations that offer highly personalized accounts. Often touching upon extreme circumstances, their art is about tolerance, both in terms of endurance and of the mutual understanding necessary for cohabitation. Alevtyna (Alevtina) Kakhidze’s ongoing performance creates an opportunity to comprehend the war in the Donbas from multiple perspectives, including that of a gardener. She associates the tending of plants with her mother who died on occupied territory, refusing to leave her garden. Mariia (Maria) Kulikovs'ka’s sculptures serve as shooting targets for separatists in the occupied centre of contemporary art in Donetsk. Vlada Ralko’s paintings of tortured bodies become a metaphor for scars garnered by a war that remains close to home. Paintings and sculptures by Maryna Skuharieva (Skugareva) and Anna Zviahintseva (Zvyagintseva) address the ruin of representation inflicted by war, and the conceptual performance by Liia (Lia) Dostlieva and Andrii Dostliev contemplates the healing process of war wounds. Neither making spectacle from the “pain of others” nor deeming it unrepresentable, this art seeks emphatic alternatives to traditional war narratives.

A performer steps onto a stage, bare save for a single microphone. She is dressed in black with a white target printed on the chest of her shirt. This target pattern is a replica of the human targets marksmen use to practice shooting. The everywoman manifests her interior monologue – she talks frankly about what’s been bothering; her in a rambling, free-associative way. As she speaks, from time to time, a prop is lowered from the ceiling to her hand. She stops speaking; as the props descend and reascend. The pulleys that move them creak as they move the objects through space. The only props that do not come from above – deus ex machina – are the red buttons which the woman removes from her hip pockets.)

In this paper, an intelligent water shooting robot system for situations of carrier shake and target movement is designed, which uses a 2 DOF (degree of freedom) robot as an actuator, a photoelectric camera to detect and track the desired target, and a gyroscope to keep the robot’s body stable when it is mounted on the motion carriers. Particularly, for the accurate shooting of the designed system, an online tuning model of the water jet landing point based on the back-propagation algorithm was proposed. The model has two stages. In the first stage, the polyfit function of Matlab is used to fit a model that satisfies the law of jet motion in ideal conditions without interference. In the second stage, the model uses the back-propagation algorithm to update the parameters online according to the visual feedback of the landing point position. The model established by this method can dynamically eliminate the interference of external factors and realize precise on-target shooting. The simulation results show that the model can dynamically adjust the parameters according to the state relationship between the landing point and the desired target, which keeps the predicted pitch angle error within 0.1°. In the test on the actual platform, when the landing point is 0.5 m away from the position of the desired target, the model only needs 0.3 s to adjust the water jet to hit the target. Compared to the state-of-the-art method, GA-BP (genetic algorithm-back-propagation), the proposed method’s predicted pitch angle error is within 0.1 degree with 1/4 model parameters, while costing 1/7 forward propagation time and 1/200 back-propagation calculation time.

Radar target classification is an important task in the missile defense system. State-of-the-art studies using micro-doppler frequency have been conducted to classify the space object targets. However, existing studies rely highly on feature extraction methods. Therefore, the generalization performance of the classifier is limited and there is room for improvement. Recently, to improve the classification performance, the popular approaches are to build a convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture with the help of transfer learning and use the generative adversarial network (GAN) to increase the training datasets. However, these methods still have drawbacks. First, they use only one feature to train the network. Therefore, the existing methods cannot guarantee that the classifier learns more robust target characteristics. Second, it is difficult to obtain large amounts of data that accurately mimic real-world target features by performing data augmentation via GAN instead of simulation. To mitigate the above problem, we propose a transfer learning-based parallel network with the spectrogram and the cadence velocity diagram (CVD) as the inputs. In addition, we obtain an EM simulation-based dataset. The radar-received signal is simulated according to a variety of dynamics using the concept of shooting and bouncing rays with relative aspect angles rather than the scattering center reconstruction method. Our proposed model is evaluated on our generated dataset. The proposed method achieved about 0.01 to 0.39% higher accuracy than the pre-trained networks with a single input feature.

This paper proposes a new approach to enhance the realism and interactivity of shooting simulation systems by integrating a three-degree–of–freedom (3-DoF) platform with sensory and interactive elements, as well as digital content. The system employs visual effects computers and servo controls, utilizing network packet messages for communication based on different scene definitions. When the control handle sends commands, the visual effects computer transmits control parameters to the image generator. Additionally, AI-controlled aircrafts act as enemy planes, autonomously determining flight paths, tracking targets, and engaging in combat, thereby enhancing realism in interactive mechanisms. An iterative learning control (ILC) is designed to provide the platform with good dynamic response, load capacity, and tracking ability when operated by a manual control handle. The core control uses a TMS320F28377D digital signal processor from Texas Instruments, integrated with visual effects computers for three-axis control, controller computation, finite state machines, and network communication operations. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the developed three-axis shooting platform, achieving immersion and coordination with AI enemy aircrafts.

The article reveals the features of the firearms training of future officers at the higher military education institutions of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. It has been established that the firearms training is an essential part of the professional training of the SBGSU personnel. The acquired knowledge and skills regarding firearms handling enable border guard officers perform the tasks assigned to the SBGSU more efficiently, feel confident while protecting the state border, when performing detention of border violators, and also organize shooting exercises of the personnel of the unit in a safe and secure manner. Such knowledge and skills are acquired by the cadets of the National Academy of the SBGSU while studying the “Firearms Training” discipline. It is presented as a set of activities aimed at studying the legality of using firearms and improving the skills of safe and secure shooting at stationary and moving targets from different positions in a limited time, and in motion. Such training includes studying the safety measures when handling weapons, knowledge of parts of small arms, as well as peculiarities of practical training with weapons and organization of shooting exercises. The purpose of firearms training at the National Academy is to prepare officers of the primary level of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine to act with weapons in various situations of operational and service activity and to lawfully stop illegal actions as part of a unit, group and independently.

Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is often aggressive, with poor response to current therapies in approximately 40–50% of the patients. Current therapies are restricted to operation and irradiation, often combined with a small number of standard-of-care chemotherapeutic drugs, preferentially for advanced tumour patients. Only very recently, newer targeted therapies have entered the clinics, including Cetuximab, which targets the EGF receptor (EGFR), and several immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the immune receptor PD-1 and its ligand PD-L1. HNSCC tumour tissues are characterized by a high degree of intra-tumour heterogeneity (ITH), and non-genetic alterations that may affect both non-transformed cells, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and transformed carcinoma cells. This very high degree of heterogeneity likely contributes to acquired drug resistance, tumour dormancy, relapse, and distant or lymph node metastasis. ITH, in turn, is likely promoted by pronounced tumour cell plasticity, which manifests in highly dynamic and reversible phenomena such as of partial or hybrid forms of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and enhanced tumour stemness. Stemness and tumour cell plasticity are strongly promoted by Notch signalling, which remains poorly understood especially in HNSCC. Here, we aim to elucidate how Notch signal may act both as a tumour suppressor and proto-oncogenic, probably during different stages of tumour cell initiation and progression. Notch signalling also interacts with numerous other signalling pathways, that may also have a decisive impact on tumour cell plasticity, acquired radio/chemoresistance, and metastatic progression of HNSCC. We outline the current stage of research related to Notch signalling, and how this pathway may be intricately interconnected with other, druggable targets and signalling mechanisms in HNSCC.

Visual object tracking in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) videos plays an important role in a variety of fields, such as traffic data collection, traffic monitoring, as well as film and television shooting. However, it is still challenging to track the target robustly in UAV vision task due to several factors such as appearance variation, background clutter, and severe occlusion. In this paper, we propose a novel two-stage UAV tracking framework, which includes a target detection stage based on multifeature discrimination and a bounding-box estimation stage based on the instance-aware attention network. In the target detection stage, we explore a feature representation scheme for a small target that integrates handcrafted features, low-level deep features, and high-level deep features. Then, the correlation filter is used to roughly predict target location. In the bounding-box estimation stage, an instance-aware intersection over union (IoU)-Net is integrated together with an instance-aware attention network to estimate the target size based on the bounding-box proposals generated in the target detection stage. Extensive experimental results on the UAV123 and UAVDT datasets show that our tracker, running at over 25 frames per second (FPS), has superior performance as compared with state-of-the-art UAV visual tracking approaches.

Equally discomforting is the PlayStation mentality that surrounds drone killings. Young military personnel raised on a diet of video games now kill real people remotely using joysticks. Far removed from the human consequences of their actions, how will this generation of fighters value the right to life? How will commanders and policy makers keep themselves immune from the deceptively antiseptic nature of drone killings? Will killing be a more attractive option than capture? Will the standards of intelligence gathering justify a killing slip? Will the number of acceptable collateral civilian deaths increase?
Prepared under the supervision of Mr Gus Waschefort at the International criminal court, The Hague, Netherlands
Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2011.
http://www.chr.up.ac.za/
nf2012
Centre for Human Rights
LLM

In this study, a MATLAB®
code based on the Shooting and Bouncing Ray (SBR) algorithm is developed to compute the Radar Cross Section (RCS) of complex targets. SBR is based on ray tracing and combine Geometric Optics (GO) and Physical Optics (PO) approaches to compute the RCS of arbitrary scatterers. The presented algorithm is examined in two parts
the first part addresses a new aperture selection strategy named as &ldquo
conformal aperture&rdquo
, which is proposed and formulated to increase the performance of the code outside the specular regions, and the second part is devoted to testing the multiple scattering and shadowing performance of the code. The conformal aperture approach consists of a configuration that gathers all rays bouncing back from the target, and calculates their contribution to RCS. Multiple scattering capability of the algorithm is verified and tested over simple shapes. Ray tracing part of the code is also used as v a shadowing algorithm. In the first instance, simple shapes like sphere, plate, cylinder and polyhedron are used to model simple targets. With primitive shapes, complex targets can be modeled up to some degree. Later, patch representation is used to model complex targets accurately. In order to test the whole code over complex targets, a Computer Aided Design (CAD) format known as Stereo Lithography (STL) mesh is used. Targets that are composed in CAD tools are imported in STL mesh format and handled in the code. Different sweep geometries are defined to compute the RCS of targets with respect to aspect angles. Complex targets are selected according to their RCS characteristics to test the code further. In addition to these, results are compared with PO, Method of Moments (MoM) and Multilevel Fast Multipole Method (MLFMM) results obtained from the FEKO software. These comparisons enabled us to improve the code as possible as it is.

Target shooting in the United States has become an increasingly popular sport in the last century. In addition to the large quantity of lead pellets littering range grounds and surrounding land, considerable amounts of clay target fragments cover shooting range areas as well as adjoining habitats. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within the target, as well as lead pellets from shotguns pose multiple threats to a variety of wildlife. To determine the effects of clay target and lead pellet ingestion on wildlife, I conducted controlled experiments on Coturnix quail exposed to clay targets in the lab, and collected wild birds and mammals exposed to lead pellets at a shooting range. The first Coturnix study determined whether quail voluntarily consumed target fragments or limestone fragments. In both fall (F=29.2, P<0.01) and spring (F=6.45, P=0.02) experiments, I found that quail consistently selected limestone fragments, but almost completely rejected clay target fragments. In the second study, quail were force-fed varying amounts of target dust on a weekly basis to simulate sporadic exposure to clay target dust. In both summer (F=1.63, P=0.23) and winter (F=0.34, P=0.8) trials, male quail did not have significant weight loss. Female quail had insignificant weight losses in summer trials (F=1.63, P=0.23) but experienced weight gains in winter trials (F=3.53, P=0.04). In the third and final Coturnix study, varying amounts of target dust were incorporated into daily feed rations to simulate frequent exposure to clay target dust. Male quail experienced weight loss in both summer (F=16.13, P<0.01) and winter (F=8.47, P<0.01) trials. Female quail also suffered weight loss in both summer (F=15.62, P<0.01) and winter (F=17.50, P<0.01) trials. Weight loss likely resulted from inadequate nutrition as opposed to target poisoning. However, because there were no biochemical analyses performed to test for PAH presence, no definite conclusions can be made. The second study focused on lead contamination in Passeriformes, perching birds, and small mammals. Seventeen of 20 birds (85%) (Passerine spp) captured at the shooting range had elevated lead levels (F=5.21, P<0.028), when compared to birds (n=20) at the control site. Nine of 26 (35%) white-footed mice (Peromyscous leucopus), trapped at the shooting range had elevated liver (F=9.78, P=0.0029) and kidney (F=22.49, P<0.01) lead levels. These results indicate that Passerine species as well as Peromyscous species around shooting ranges inadvertently consume lead, either as lead pellets, mistaking them for grit or dietary items, or through environmental sources such as water, soil, and vegetation.
Master of Science

An anthropological study of urban practice, this thesis contributes a nuanced understanding of the role of visual art in regeneration. Inspired by the experiential philosophy of Dewey (1934), we have traced the effects mobilised by art as part of urban transformation. The literature of cultural policy and ‘culture-led regeneration’ (Vickery, 2007), discusses art as physical artworks, in support of development; or as socially-engaged practice, in support of social renewal. Through tracing the movements of all the actors involved, our research goes beyond explanation in support of policy targets. We have described what happens in practice, on its own terms. To account for a range of professional perspectives, the research included four empirical studies at different proximities to practice: an exploratory study embedded in art practice; eighteen in-depth interviews with a range of art and regeneration professionals; sixteen in-depth interviews with practitioners of an Urban Regeneration Company (URC) case study; and a six-month ethnography of the same URC case. Accounting for the agency of humans and non-humans (Latour, 2007a), our explications took close account of the effects produced by the associations of urban relationships, between: engineers, planners, construction workers, and artists; as well as plans and drawings, objects, materials, concepts, ideas and natural elements. Through tracing actors at the ‘microscopic’ (Geertz, 1973) scale, we did not observe art as ‘works’, but the way art works as a driver for re-imagining the urban. In practice, we see regeneration not as buildings or communities, but as a continuous process of re-shaping human-physical relationships. As part of this relational network, art ‘mediates’ (Hennion, 1997) participation, collaboration and reflection on the ambitions of regeneration: producing new ideas for urban possibilities. The effects are produced through the continuous associations between ‘inner’ (human) and ‘outer’ (physical) materials. These material associations meld to create a neutral platform for professionals to shift from their usual remit; to re-consider the ‘big picture’ from a new perspective. Regeneration is an active part of the political landscape. As a catalyst for urban imagination, rather than deliver policy objectives, art re-shapes them. Through tracing practice this research contributes new understandings to the study of art and regeneration. By revealing urban networks through tracing art, rather than explaining regeneration as physical or social, we have made a contribution to urban studies by describing the micro movements of regeneration as a relational practice. As a contribution to art studies, through tracing how art works in regeneration, we have produced nuanced descriptions of how art ‘mediates’ action and reflection in and on urban practice. As a contribution to policy and practice, we have articulated the role of visual art in regeneration as: mediating emergent imaginings; re-shaping rather than delivering objectives. As a tool for the policies of the time, ‘regeneration’ has a shelf-life. As an articulation of the role of art as a catalyst for collaboration in support of positive urban transformation, the findings of this study continue to be relevant.

This thesis gauges the contemporary landscape of political theatre at a time in which everything, and consequently nothing, is political. That is, almost all theatres today proclaim a politics, and yet there is widespread resignation regarding the inevitability of capitalism. This thesis proposes a theory of political action via the theatre: radical theatre today must employ a strategy of "moving targets". Theatrical actions must be adaptable and mobile to seek out the moving targets of capital and track down target audiences as they move through public space. In addition, political theatre must become a moving target to avoid amalgamation into the capitalist system of exchange. I approached this topic through four case studies. Two of the case studies, Reverend Billy's Church of Stop Shopping and the Critical Art Ensemble, are based in the United States. I studied their work via materials - books, essays, videos, websites, interviews, and more - but not in person. The other two case studies are lifted from my own experience with the Christchurch Free Theatre: an original production of Christmas Shopping and a devised production of Karl Kraus' play The Last Days of Mankind. These latter two case studies served as laboratory experiments through which I was able to test ideas and problematics of political theatre that arose through my research. These case studies led to the determination that creating aesthetic experiences and actions - as opposed to having explicitly political content - can be a strategy or foundation for a radical political theatre that resists, undermines, and at times transcends the seeming inevitability of consumer capitalism. In an age in which any political intervention is seen as senseless disruption, a form of pointless violence, this theatre has adopted the strategies of terrorist actions to have a disruptive effect without positing a specific alternative social structure.

Stämningen en film förmedlar är en av de viktigaste aspekterna inom filmskapande och filmmediet. Det är denna stämning som har möjligheten att påverka åskådarens känslor både under filmens gång och efter att eftertexterna har rullat förbi. Detta kandidatarbete syftar till att påvisa stämningens betydelse inom filmmediet samt se hur filmskapare kan utföra filmproduktioner för att förstärka stämningen deras film förmedlar. För att uppnå detta utförde vi två filmproduktioner som resulterade i en kortfilm och en presentationsfilm. Båda produktionerna utfördes med deltagande filmskapande som sin grundpelare, som var med och påverkade alla val och beslut vi tog genom processerna. Deltagande filmskapande ledde oss även till att få fler och mer unika idéer in i våra projekt och filmer för att förstärka stämningarna som förmedlas av våra filmer. Vi valde att utgå från filmteorier angående en films tempo av Ross Hockrow och platsens betydelse av Mats Ödeen, för att sedan utföra filminspelningarna med hjälp av inspelningsmetoder som The Master Scene Method och The Split Sequence efter Blain Browns och Luis Fernando Morales Morantes beskrivningar. Vi höll till sist en förhandsvisning av våra filmer för att undersöka och sedan diskutera huruvida vi lyckats med att genom deltagande filmskapande, filmteorier och inspelningsmetoder förmedla stämningar med våra filmer.
The mood that a film conveys is one of the most important aspects in filmmaking and the film medium. It is this mood that has the opportunity to elicit emotions in the viewer, both during the movie but also after the credits has rolled. This Bachelor Thesis aim to show the importance of mood in the film medium as well as how a filmmaker can produce a film project in a way that amplifies the mood that the film conveys. To achieve this, we produced two film projects that resulted in one short movie and one infomercial. Both productions were produced with participatory filmmaking as a foundation, a method that influenced every choice and decision we made during the design process. Participatory filmmaking also led us to get several and more unique ideas for our projects and films in order to amplify the moods that our films conveys. We chose to proceed from film theories regarding the tempo of a film by Ross Hockrow and the importance of the location by Mats Ödeen, to then produce our film projects with shooting methods such as The Master Scene Sequence and The Split Sequence as described by Blain Brown and Luis Fernando Morales Morante. In the end of the design process we arranged a pre-screening of our films to check and discuss whether we succeeded to convey moods with our films with the help of participatory filmmaking, film theories and shooting methods.

This study is a major part of the dissertation research. It is focused on the development of shooting skills in young biathletes in a three-year training period. Specifically, the long-term development of the percentage success rate of prone and standing shooting in both training and races is described in study. It mentions marginally shooting skills such as the postural stability, the stability of aiming and triggering. The first part of our research, completed in 2017, brought findings that the relationship between exercise intensity and the biathlete’s postural stability exists, but following part of it, finalized in 2018, did not demonstrate the dependence of exercise intensity on the aiming stability and triggering. Initially, the study involved 23 young biathletes (13 girls, 10 boys). Whole research was completed by 19 biathletes (11 girls: age 17.8±0.64 years; 8 boys: age 17.4±0.72 years) after three years. The results of our current study are based on the records of shooting on metal targets that were created during each biathlon shooting training and all biathlon races of the participants in the three-year period. Only shooting with previous physical load was involved into results, shooting at rest was not included in the study. The results show the improvement of the percentage success rate in both prone and standing shooting in the three-year training period in both girl and boy groups and in both training and races (total percentage success rate = the average of the training and races percentage success rate – girls in prone: 2016/2017: 71.3%, 2017/2018: 75.5%, 2018/2019: 80.0%; girls in standing: 2016/2017: 61.8%, 2017/2018: 67.7%, 2018/2019: 73.4%; boys in prone: 2016/2017: 72.0%, 2017/2018: 72.9%, 2018/2019: 75.3%; boys in standing: 2016/2017: 57.6%, 2017/2018: 63.5%, 2018/2019: 67.7%). Girls are better shooters than boys in this research group. In general, the gradual improvement of percentage success rate in time is expected to occur in young biathletes that are in the intensive training process, but our study brings unique data of concretely values at this age of athletes that has not been known yet. The obtained data could be used by biathlon trainers to compare the current level of shooting skills at a given age of their young athletes. At the same time, a normative standard of biathlon shooting skills in a given age could be created in the case of gathering more data. That is one of the goals of the Czech Biathlon Union.

Proficient multitasking abilities are essential for conducting military operations. Air Force pilots, for instance, must monitor control panels and respond to radio messages while steering an aircraft. Moreover, infantry soldiers need to collaborate in teams in addition to executing orders. Whether both conditions require the same multitasking abilities is unclear. This raises the question, which mechanism accounts for efficient multitasking behavior. One answer may be that individuals possess a general multitasking ability, enabling them to conduct multitasking at more or less the same level of proficiency regardless of task requirements. Likewise, multitasking performance in military operations may be influenced by the proficiency in employing task-specific skills and abilities to handle high workload conditions, suggesting that only individuals with a certain skill set may be suitable for specific military tasks. Determining which account predicts military multitasking best, may significantly improve soldiers’ success rate. To address this, we recruited 25 officer cadets to perform multitasking in three different environments (laboratory, flight simulation, shooting gallery). In the laboratory, individuals needed to solve math problems and memorize radio signals separately and concurrently. In the flight simulation, individuals steered a hair cross (representative for an aircraft) using a joystick. Additionally, they had to respond to control panels and radio signals, and monitor a tank system. In the shooting gallery, the cadets had to solve math problems and memorize radio signals while shooting at ring targets. Laboratory multitasking and military performance were operationalized by means of a modified version of the multitasking throughput measure, allowing to compare performance modulations across different task conditions. We expected that the cadets’ laboratory multitasking assessment predicted their military performance in the shooting gallery best, given that both settings shared similar task requirements. To test this hypothesis, we conducted Bayesian regression analyses. In contrast to our expectation, we found that a compound score of the flight performance measures predicted military performance best. Both measures also correlated with military service duration. This effect implies that military performance may be related to a general multitasking ability. But further research will be required to test if this effect also translates to other military occupational fields.

Enhancing fireteam lethality remains a key priority for the U.S. Army. Along with team dynamics, individual marksmanship performance is a core contributor to a fireteam’s lethality. When considering factors that affect marksmanship performance, an individual’s visual sensory and perceptual traits have been identified as having some of the most influential impacts, however, these insights have primarily been drawn from studies wherein participants completed individually based marksmanship tasks. From an operational perspective, Soldiers are more likely to engage in combat at the team level or higher, and thus, research investigating the effect of individual traits in the context of a team marksmanship task is warranted. The goal of this research is to evaluate individual traits by quantifying relationships between visual traits and marksmanship performance during a team marksmanship task and assess which traits are well defined between high and low performing individuals on the team. This research was completed using data from a cohort of 38 male, Infantry Soldiers who completed a simulated team shooting scenario (TSS) in teams of three at a 72-hour field exercise. Prior to the study onset, visual trait information was collected from each participant, to include dynamic visual acuity, field of view, and useful field of view data. These traits were compared to marksmanship performance gathered from the TSS task. The scenario represented an escalating firing engagement over five minutes. In this engagement, teams were situated in the center of a circle of 28 LED targets, which they were required to scan and engage when a designated hostile was displayed. During the scenario, the LED targets were dormant until activated at various times in different shapes to represent hostile or friendly targets. Weapon-attached sensor technology provided shot timing and placement data which was used to calculate team marksmanship outcomes (i.e., probability of target hits, percent of targets engaged).To explore the relationship between visual traits and marksmanship performance, a correlation analysis was conducted using baseline visual trait data and the TSS marksmanship data. Results of the analysis revealed a strong relationship between central vision processing and probability of hit (r = .32, p = .06). To assess differences in central vision processing between high and low skilled performers (high performers had a p(hit) greater than .3, N = 19), an independent t-test was conducted with marksmanship performance group as the independent variable and central vision processing accuracy as the dependent variable. Results of this analysis revealed a statistically significant difference (t(35) = 2.11, p = 0.04, d = .68), between the top half of performers (M = .92, SD = .03) and the bottom half of performers (M = .87, SD = .08). These results suggest that individuals with higher visual processing capabilities are more likely to perform better in realistic operational engagements with a dynamic setting requiring sector scanning. Findings of this study provide initial evidence that technological or training enhancements to marksmanship performance should consider addressing deficits in or augmenting central visual processing to improve probability of hit on the intended target.

Abstract With commercialization, marine science and military applications in offshore and shallow waters is increasing, the development of the small surface vessels are getting greater, and that design targets are focus on multi-functional platforms, smart navigation and autonomous, etc. Therefore, the goals of multi-purpose small surface vessels such as the coastal patrol, offshore observation and data collection, intelligence reconnaissance, anti-mine warfare, marine shooting training targets, and so on. In currently, to achieve these missions, the length of most small surface vessels were designed less than 10 meters. Furthermore, based on these multi-propose requirements, this study will explore the configuration design of monohull and trimaran, combine the research source of the Horizontal Circulating Water Channel (HCWC), through the ship model test to acquire experimental data. In addition, to promote the study quality and experimental efficiency, we applied Taguchi design of experimental (DOE) and the variance of analysis (ANOVA) to compare the resistance and payload of various configurations ship design. In this study, we defined two control factors (such as factor-A is Longitudinal distance, factor-B is Lateral distance) and set up three-level factorial design, and planned factorial experiment based on Taguchi orthogonal array L9 (34). Also used the neural network and training metamodeling. This metamodeling was decided by relative coefficient (R) and decision coefficient (R2). According to this metamodeling, and then, applied the genetic algorithm to search the best solution such as A2B3. The results of this study showed that the resistance performance of the trimaran is better than the monohull while the volume Froude number Fr∇ &gt; 0.95, and the optimum configuration has greater resistance performance at both higher and lower speed fields to achieve robust design. In the other hand, this paper will also discuss the feasibility and effectiveness of the installation space and multi-function performance on platform. Hence, for payload study, we also applied ANOVA to analyze these nine different configurations, and indicated a significant main effect for factor-B. However, no significant main effect for factor-A and interaction effect were found. To conclude, this study may be of importance in explaining small surface vessel design, as well as in providing ship designer with a better understanding of trade-off about speed and payload. While this study has its limitations (such as HCWC characteristic dimension), it is hoped that it could as a basis for further study in the multi-functional small surface vessel.

The Second Research Coordination Meeting of the IAEA Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on Updating Fission Yield Data for Applications was held in Vienna at the IAEA headquarters from 19 to 23 December 2022, with 23 international experts attending the meeting. The CRP is devoted to evaluation efforts of cumulative and independent fission yields for incident energies from the thermal point up to 14 MeV on actinide targets. Produced fission yield evaluations should include full uncertainty quantification and are expected to combine available experimental data and state-of-the-art model information. The activities undertaken within this CRP were reviewed including the assessment of newly measured data and ongoing evaluation efforts. Technical discussions and the resulting further work plan of this CRP are summarized in this report. The meeting presentations are available at: https://www-nds.iaea.org/index-meeting-crp/2RCM_FY/index.htm.

The First Research Coordination Meeting of the CRP on “Updating Fission Yield Data for Applications” was held by video conference from 31 August to 4 September 2020 with more than 50 international experts from 16 countries attending the meeting. The CRP is devoted to evaluation efforts of cumulative and independent fission yields for incident ener-gies from the thermal point up to 14 MeV on actinide targets. Produced fission yield evalu-ations should include full uncertainty quantification and are expected to combine available experimental data and state-of-art model information. Four working groups were created within the collaboration: 1) Availability of experimental fission product yield data for eval-uations; 2) New fission product yield experimental data; 3) Fission product yield evalua-tion; and 4) Fission product yield validation. Technical discussions and the resulting work plan of the Coordinated Research Programme are summarized in this report. The meeting presentations are available at: https://nds.iaea.org/index-meeting-crp/FissionYields2020/.

The First Research Coordination Meeting of the CRP on “Updating Fission Yield Data for Applications” was held by video conference from 31 August to 4 September 2020 with more than 50 international experts from 16 countries attending the meeting. The CRP is devoted to evaluation efforts of cumulative and independent fission yields for incident energies from the thermal point up to 14 MeV on actinide targets. Produced fission yield evaluations should include full uncertainty quantification and are expected to combine available experimental data and state-of-art model information. Four working groups were created within the collaboration: 1) Availability of experimental fission product yield data for evaluations; 2) New fission product yield experimental data; 3) Fission product yield evaluation; and 4) Fission product yield validation. Technical discussions and the resulting work plan of the Coordinated Research Programme are summarized in this report. The meeting presentations are available at: https://nds.iaea.org/index-meeting-crp/FissionYields2020/.

During the development of this project, we selected four potential B. bovis antigens for a subunit vaccine to prevent the clinical signs of acute bovine babesiosis. Selection of the target antigens was based on: (1) profile of expression in parasite blood stages; (2) prediction for protein location on the parasite surface and/or on the surface of infected red blood cells; and (3) target conservation between US and Israeli strains of B. bovis. Following these criteria, the B. bovis targets BBOV_IV009170, BBOV_III007410, BBOV_II001790, and BBOV_III008720 were selected. Full-length genomic sequences of these four targets were compared between Israeli and US strains of B. bovis. Four Israeli parasite strains/isolates were selected for gene conservation analysis: sample ID # 3330 (from Refet Netofa); sample ID # 2673 (Refet Netofa); Sample ID Newe Yaar - Shahar; and the Israeli B. bovis cultured live vaccine 2S61411. The reference B. bovis Texas stain was also used in the analysis. Sequencing analysis showed considerable levels of conservation ranging from 72.2-91.1% and 84.6-94.1% of amino acid identity and similarity, respectively, by comparing Israeli and US B. bovis strains. Recombinant version of the four target antigens were produced in E. coli, purified by nickel columns, and used for antigenic and immunogenic analyses. Antigenic analysis revealed that B. bovis-infected cattle develop high antibody titers to BBOV_III008720. In contrast, no antibodies against BBOV_IV009170, BBOV_III007410, and BBOV_II001790 were detected in sera from infected cattle. Vaccine trial of the four antigens in cattle is currently being carried out. However, preliminary data show that after three inoculations all vaccinated animals (n=5) seroconverted to all four B. bovis antigens. At the time of the preparation of this report, vaccinated and control animals are being challenged with a virulent B. bovis strain from Israel to evaluate protection. Results from the vaccination/trial experiment will set the future directions of this work. Considering the overall results from this project, two manuscripts are currently in preparation. A manuscript currently in preparation will describe the bioinformatics analysis and antigenic evaluation of the four transmembrane B. bovis proteins as potential targets for a subunit vaccine. A second manuscript will report the results from the vaccination/challenge trial. We believe that we have successfully accomplished our objective in this project. By developing this work, we have identified, expressed, and tested conserved antigens for a potential subunit vaccine against B. bovis, and have advanced the state-of-the-art concerning the development of an efficient and sustainable control strategy to bovine babesiosis.

Abstract: The long-term goals of our research are to understand the regulation of sclerotial development and pathogenicity in S. sclerotior11111. The focus in this project was on the elucidation of the signaling events and environmental cues involved in the regulation of these processes, utilizing and continuously developing tools our research groups have established and/or adapted for analysis of S. sclerotiorum, Our stated objectives: To take advantage of the recent conceptual (ROS/PPs signaling) and technical (amenability of S. sclerotiorumto manipulations coupled with chemical genomics and next generation sequencing) developments to address and extend our fundamental and potentially applicable knowledge of the following questions concerning the involvement of REDOX signaling and protein dephosphorylation in the regulation of hyphal/sclerotial development and pathogenicity of S. sclerotiorum: (i) How do defects in genes involved in ROS signaling affect S. sclerotiorumdevelopment and pathogenicity? (ii) In what manner do phosphotyrosinephosphatases affect S. sclerotiorumdevelopment and pathogenicity and how are they linked with ROS and other signaling pathways? And (iii) What is the nature of activity of newly identified compounds that affect S. sclerotiori,111 growth? What are the fungal targets and do they interfere with ROS signaling? We have met a significant portion of the specific goals set in our research project. Much of our work has been published. Briefly. we can summarize that: (a) Silencing of SsNox1(NADPHoxidase) expression indicated a central role for this enzyme in both virulence and pathogenic development, while inactivation of the SsNox2 gene resulted in limited sclerotial development, but the organism remained fully pathogenic. (b) A catalase gene (Scatl), whose expression was highly induced during host infection is involved in hyphal growth, branching, sclerotia formation and infection. (c) Protein tyrosine phosphatase l (ptpl) is required for sclerotial development and is involved in fungal infection. (d) Deletion of a superoxidedismutase gene (Sssodl) significantly reduced in virulence on both tomato and tobacco plants yet pathogenicity was mostly restored following supplementation with oxalate. (e) We have participated in comparative genome sequence analysis of S. sclerotiorumand B. cinerea. (f) S. sclerotiorumexhibits a potential switch between biotrophic and necrotrophic lifestyles (g) During plant­ microbe interactions cell death can occur in both resistant and susceptible events. Non­ pathogenic fungal mutants S. sclerotior111n also cause a cell death but with opposing results. We investigated PCD in more detail and showed that, although PCD occurs in both circumstances they exhibit distinctly different features. The mutants trigger a restricted cell death phenotype in the host that unexpectedly exhibits markers associated with the plant hypersensitive (resistant) response. Using electron and fluorescence microscopy, chemical effectors and reverse genetics, we have established that this restricted cell death is autophagic. Inhibition of autophagy rescued the non-pathogenic mutant phenotype. These findings indicate that autophagy is a defense response in this interaction Thus the control of cell death, dictated by the plant (autophagy) סr the fungus (apoptosis), is decisive to the outcome of certain plant­ microbe interactions. In addition to the time and efforts invested towards reaching the specific goals mentioned, both Pls have initiated utilizing (as stated as an objective in our proposal) state of the art RNA-seq tools in order to harness this technology for the study of S. sclerotiorum. The Pls have met twice (in Israel and in the US), in order to discuss .נחd coordinate the research efforts. This included a working visit at the US Pls laboratory for performing RNA-seq experiments and data analysis as well as working on a joint publication (now published). The work we have performed expands our understanding of the fundamental biology (developmental and pathogenic) of S. sclerotioז111וז. Furthermore, based on our results we have now reached the conclusion that this fungus is not a bona fide necrotroph, but can also display a biotrophic lifestyle at the early phases of infection. The data obtained can eventually serve .נ basis of rational intervention with the disease cycle of this pathogen.

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

Black carbon – also referred to as soot – is a particulate matter that results from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. As a major air and climate pollutant, black carbon (BC) emissions have widespread adverse effects on human health and climate change. Globally, exposure to unhealthy levels of particulate matter, including BC, is estimated to cause between three and six million excess deaths every year. These health impacts – and the related economic losses – are felt disproportionately by those living in low- and middle-income countries. Furthermore, BC is a potent greenhouse gas with a short-term global warming potential well beyond carbon dioxide and methane. Worse still, it is often deposited on sea ice and glaciers, reducing reflectivity and accelerating melting, particularly in the Arctic and Himalayas. Therefore, reducing BC emissions results in a triple win, mitigating climate change, improving the lives of more than two billion people currently exposed to unclean air, and saving trillions of dollars in economic losses. Today, the majority of BC emissions stem from just a handful of sectors and countries. Over 70% of BC comes from the residential and transportation sectors, with the latter being the dominant source in high-income countries and the former driving emissions in low- and middle-income nations. On a country-level, China and India are the biggest emitters accounting for one-third of global BC emissions. When combined with Brazil, Indonesia, and Nigeria, these five countries alone emit 50% of all BC. While BC emissions trends over the past 20 years have been inconsistent globally, there has been a notable decline in Europe, North America, and China. Conversely, emissions have been rising in regions like Africa, South Asia, and Central Asia. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends deep reductions in BC emissions by 2030 to achieve the Paris Climate Agreement goal of limiting warming to below 1.5°C, yet very few countries have addressed BC in their climate plans. Fortunately, solutions that can rapidly reduce BC emissions by the end of this decade are readily available. By implementing the right policies, deploying targeted interventions in hotspots, and redirecting climate finance, policymakers and funders can mitigate the climate effects of BC while saving millions of lives and trillions of dollars. Below are key recommendations to achieve these aims based on the findings of this report: Urgently implement clean cooking solutions Providing clean cooking fuels and technologies in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, especially in the hotspots of the Indo-Gangetic Plains, Nigeria, and Uganda, can significantly reduce BC emissions. Countries with low penetration of clean cooking fuel must urgently develop policies that make clean cooking a priority for health and climate. Target transportation to reduce current – and prevent future – emissions Retrofitting older diesel engines with diesel particulate filters can remove up to 95% of BC. Countries around the world must implement policies to phase out polluting vehicles, set emission standards, and accelerate the uptake of EVs and hybrids, especially in urban regions where transportation demand is growing rapidly. A successful shift to EVs demands national investments complemented with international financing and private capital. Multilateral development banks need to play a pivotal role in this transition, with strategies like concessional finance to fast-track key projects and stimulate private sector investment. Reduce BC from the shipping industry BC emissions from the shipping industry must be urgently reduced to protect the Arctic ecosystem. Shifting shipping away from heavy fuel oil and equipping ships with diesel particulate filters is a cost-effective approach that would quickly and significantly reduce emissions. Regulate air quality Stringent emissions standards, clean air laws, baselines, and mandatory monitoring programs can effectively reduce BC emissions. Such policies have already resulted in large reductions in Europe, North America, and, more recently, China. However, several low- and middle-income countries have no legal protection for ambient air quality and lack legislatively-mandated standards. Implementing strong and legally binding policies can result in a large decrease in BC emissions, particularly across the transportation and industry sectors. Include BC in nationally determined contributions and the UNFCCC Only 12 countries have explicitly addressed BC in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). This limited focus on BC is partly due to its omission from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) list of climate pollutants, an oversight that should be reconsidered given that reducing BC would save countless lives and slow global warming. As nations review their NDCs by 2025, they must incorporate BC reduction efforts to meet climate and well-being targets. Improve BC measurements and estimates BC estimates are plagued by uncertainties. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more accurate inventories in order to develop better emission reduction plans. Stakeholders must collaborate to develop a consistent BC measurement protocol, prioritize the collection of high-quality data, and use state of the art models to enhance estimates and reduce uncertainties.