The educational approach within Colombia's nutrition plan (PAN)

With the knowledge that malnutrition affects the quality of life of an individual, the Colombian Government set up in 1976 a unique multi-sectorial plan (PAN), to combat the country's serious malnutrition. Government agencies and private industries in the sectors of production, distribution, health, sanitation, and education have coordinated their previously independent efforts. Among the interesting aspects are the coordination of sectors through work at various levels and through control of the budget, the limitation of bureaucracy, and the decentralization of decision-making. The ongoing attempts to overcome the difficulties encountered include making decisions in the face of inconclusive knowledge on what constitutes a well-balanced diet; combating the lack of knowledge of professionals about the environment of the poorest percentage of the population; and revising the traditional teaching method to make it more successful through a multi-media approach to assure wider coverage and more impact for the least cost, using materials such as games, puppets, posters and radio.

---

Zusammenfassung In der Erkenntnis, dass Untererernährung die Lebensqualität des Menschen beeinträchtigt, erstellte die kolumbianische Regierung im Jahre 1976 einen einzigartigen, mehrere Sektoren umfassenden Plan (Pan), um die schwerwiegende Unterernährung im Lande zu bekämpfen. Gemäss diesem Plan werden jetzt die früher zerstreuten Bemühungen von Behörden und privaten Industrieunternehmen auf den Sektoren Produktion, Verteilung, Gesundheit, Kanalisation und Erziehung koordiniert. Zu den interessantesten Aspekten gehören die Koordinierung von Sektoren durch Arbeit auf verschiedenen Ebenen sowie durch Kontrolle der Etats, die Beschränkung der Bürokratie und die Dezentralisierung von Entscheidungsbefugnissen. Unter den Versuchen, die bestehenden Schwierigkeiten zu überwinden, werden hervorgehoben: Entscheidungen angesichts unzureichenden Verständnisses von ausgewogener Ernährung; Bekämpfung des Mangels an Kenntnissen von Umweltspezialisten über den ärmsten Teil der Bevölkerung; und Revision der traditionellen Lehrmethoden mit dem Ziel, sie durch Einführung eines Multi-Medienansatzes, d.h. durch den Gebrauch von Spielen, Marionetten, Plakaten und Radio erfolgreicher zu gestalten.

---

Résumé Conscient du fait que la sous-alimentation affecte la qualité de vie d'un individu, le Gouvernement colombien a appliqué en 1976 un plan unique à secteurs multiples (PAN) dont le but est de combattre la sérieuse sousalimentation du pays. Les agences gouvernementales et les industries privées appartenant aux secteurs de la production, de la distribution, de la santé, de l'hygiène et de l'éducation coordonnent désormais leurs efforts précédemment dispersés. Parmi les aspects intéressants de ce plan, on relève la coordination des secteurs tant au moyen du travail à différents niveaux que du contrôle du budget, la limitation de la bureaucratie et la décentralisation de la prise de décision. Les efforts qui se poursuivent dans l'intention de venir à bout des difficultés rencontrées visent à prendre des décisions malgré les connaissances nonconcluantes de ce qui constitue un régime bien équilibré; à combattre le manque de connaissance des professionnels sur l'environnement du pourcentage le plus pauvre de la population; à réviser la méthode d'enseignement traditionnel en utilisant des moyens d'approche par multimedia, ceci afin d'assurer une plus grande couverture de la population, avec un impact supérieur, et ce au moindre prix, en utilisant comme matériel des jeux, des marionnettes, des affiches illustrées ainsi que la radio.

     

An On-line Search for Optimum Operating Conditions of Noisy Systems

Optimum process operating conditions are often achieved by on-line computer programming. A general method has been developed which is capable of optimizing processes whose responses are corrupted by random error. The method is particularly useful for application to processes whose response functions contain sharp ridges. Application to ridge and non-ridge systems gives the same results in each case showing that the rate of convergence of the search is totally unaffected by the presence of a ridge. An accelarated gradient method is used which obtains its derivatives from a quadratic interpolation. The inability of the gradient method to move along a ridge is overcome by projecting a straight line through points on the ridge to obtain new starting points for a gradient search. Points on the ridge are located by finding the stationary point of the polynomial which is constructed by regression through points found by the gradient search. The method is applied to several test functions known to the literature—a fast convergence rate is obtained for a wide range of noise levels.     

The Fourier theorem

It has been tacitly understood that Fourier's representation theorem applies only to a very restricted class of functions. On the contrary, by adopting an appropriate algebraic viewpoint, it is explained in this article how the theorem can be readily extended to include all (non-pathological) functions.     

Perforation of Nonlocal Visco- Plastic Plates by a Cylindrical Projectile

This paper is concerned with the analysis of the problem of dynamic perforation of visco-plastic plates by a cylindrical projectile, leading to a failure of the plate by a plug formation. Assuming the behavior of the plate material is nonlocal visco-plastic, the classical theory of visco-plasticity for Bingham solids is generalized to take the non-local effects into consideration. The target plate being thin, it is assumed that only the contributions of vertical shearing stress need be taken into account. The effect of the impact is represented by a uniform velocity distribution over a circular region of the plate surface. The expressions of velocity, strain rate and shear stress are obtained and some particular cases are discussed. Some numerical results concerning stress distributions are also included.     

Infant visual acuity as a function of viewing distance.

Dynamic retinoscopy has suggested that near vision may be more acute than far vision during early infancy. To test this, acuity thresholds were determined by presenting square wave gratings in a preference paradigm to 1- and 2-month-old human infants at 4 viewing distances. Gratings were paired with unpatterned fields; direction of first fixation was the dependent measure. Infants exhibited the same acuity at each of the distances at which gratings were presented. The results were interpreted as compatible with the fact that considerable optical defocusing does not seriously affect a visual system, such as the infant's, that is sensitive only to low spatial frequencies.     

Radial localization of odors by human newborns.

To study sensitivity to radial location of an odor source, 20 human newborns, ranging from 16 to 130 hours of age, were presented with a small amount of ammonium hydroxide. The odor source was placed near the nose slightly to the left or right of midline, with its position randomized over repeated trails. Direction of headturn with respect to the odor location and diffuse motor activity were scored from the videotape recordings of the newborns' behavior. It was found that as a group, the newborns turned away from the odor source more frequently than they turned toward it. The tendency to turn away from the odor was stronger in infants who displayed less motor activity after the response. Newborns also exhibited a right bias in the direction of the head movements. It is concluded that a spatially appropriate avoidance response is present in the neonate and that the newborn is innately sensitive to the radial location of an odor.