Research on an external adjustment method for RPECT roll profiles based on the segmented cooling principle

Roll profile electromagnetic control technology (RPECT) is a new strip flatness control technology that changes roll gap shape by controlling the roll profiles of electromagnetic control rolls (ECRs). To address the randomness of the flatness defect locations, this paper proposes an external adjustment method for RPECT roll profiles based on the segmented cooling principle. Based on the layout of the cooling areas and electromagnetic sticks, an electromagnetic-thermal-structural coupled model is established to analyse roll profile variations. The results show that symmetrically changing the cooling intensities of the different cooling areas can increase or decrease the roll crown of the ECR, while asymmetrically changing the cooling intensities of the different cooling areas can change the position of the maximum bulging point of the ECR. Variations in the component cooling ratio coefficient impact the effects of different cooling strategies, which needs to be considered when selecting the cooling strategy configuration scheme. Compared the maximum bulging values, radial temperature gradients and axial temperature gradients of different electromagnetic stick (ES) structures, the regulation law reverses when the length of the ES is too small, and the variation of the law is very small. Therefore, different ES structures have different segmented cooling regulation characteristics.

EXTERNAL ADJUSTMENT AND FLEXIBILITY OF THE EXCHANGE RATE REGIME: THE CASE OF TRANSITION COUNTRIES

Milton Friedman’s traditional claim is that flexible exchange rates facilitate external adjustment by means of their cor- rective movements before the balance of payments crisis occurs. In order to test this hypothesis, we employ the first order autoregression based on the panel data on exchange rate regime and external balance expressed as the share of balance of goods and services in GDP. The sample covers 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) and 12 Common- wealth of Independent States (CIS) transition countries over the period 2000-2019. The results, which are based on the sample of all transition countries, failed to prove that more flexible exchange rate regimes facilitate external adjust- ment. When the analysis was performed on two groups of countries separately, the results showed that the deficit of balance of goods and services in CIS countries has a higher persistence compared to CEE countries. However, a more flexible exchange rate regime does not facilitate external ad- justment. On the other hand, in CEE countries, the relation- ship between exchange rate regime flexibility and the rate of balance of goods and services reversion exists, proving that Friedman’s hypothesis does hold.

Putting the Eurozone Crisis Experience in Perspective

Much research has treated the Eurozone crisis as a sui generis event. Yet we can only examine exactly how the Eurozone crisis is distinct from other crises if we compare it to other, similar crises. This chapter therefore develops a comparative framework that allows for us to study the distributional trade-offs inherent in crisis management of a large set of crises, including the Eurozone crisis. It argues the relative costs of external vs. internal adjustment will shape crisis politics, including the willingness of these countries to accept harsh conditionality in return for external financial support. The chapter develops measures to compare national vulnerabilities to internal and external adjustment and analyzes the crisis responses for a sample of 142 crisis episodes that occurred in a sample of 122 countries between 1990 and 2014. Our analysis shows that the vulnerability profile is a useful tool for analyzing crisis responses across a wide variety of balance-of-payments (BOP) crises. It also demonstrates that the Eurozone crisis is unusual because all crisis countries were located in the “misery corner”: Deficit country vulnerabilities to both internal and external adjustments were exceptionally high, and vulnerabilities frequently increased over the course of the crisis. In such a setting, quick and decisive crisis solutions are hard to find.

Within-Person Variation in Nutrient Intakes across Populations and Settings: Implications for the Use of External Estimates in Modeling Usual Nutrient Intake Distributions

ABSTRACT Determining the proportion of a population at risk of inadequate or excessive nutrient intake is a crucial step in planning and managing nutrition intervention programs. Multiple days of 24-h dietary intake data per subject allow for adjustment of modeled usual nutrient intake distributions for the proportion of total variance in intake attributable to within-individual variation (WIV:total). When only single-day dietary data are available, an external adjustment factor can be used; however, WIV:total may vary by population, and use of incorrect WIV:total ratios may influence the accuracy of prevalence estimates and subsequent program impacts. WIV:total values were compiled from publications and from reanalyses of existing datasets to describe variation in WIV:total across populations and settings. The potential impact of variation in external WIV:total on estimates of prevalence of inadequacy was assessed through simulation analyses using the National Cancer Institute 1-d method. WIV:total values were extracted from 40 publications from 24 countries, and additional values were calculated from 15 datasets from 12 nations. Wide variation in WIV:total (from 0.02 to 1.00) was observed in publications and reanalyses. Few patterns by population characteristics were apparent, but WIV:total varied by age in children (< vs. >1 y) and between rural and urban settings. Simulation analyses indicated that estimates of the prevalence of inadequate intake are sensitive to the selected ratio in some cases. Selection of an external WIV:total estimate should consider comparability between the reference and primary studies with regard to population characteristics, study design, and statistical methods. Given wide variation in observed ratios with few discernible patterns, the collection of ≥2 days of intake data in at least a representative subsample in population dietary studies is strongly encouraged. In the case of single-day dietary studies, sensitivity analyses are recommended to determine the robustness of prevalence estimates to changes in the variance ratio.