Footwear Style Research Articles

Footwear Pattern Making and Grading Calculations Based on International Standard of Measurements

Abstract: Footwear pattern making and grading are fundamental processes in footwear design, critical for creating shoes that are well-fitting, balanced, and aesthetically appealing. Key considerations in pattern making include accurately calculating essential measuring parameters of the last to ensure perfect fit and balance. Additionally, grading is vital for developing different size ranges from the master pattern. This research paper investigates the calculations of essential measuring points of footwear based on foot anatomy and discusses longitudinal and transverse grading factors. By exploring calculations involved in pattern making and grading according to international measurement standards, the paper aims to determine the ideal calculations and grading parameters for various footwear styles. The study examines footwear measuring terminologies and derives standard formulas by analyzing diverse techniques and standards, providing insights into best practices for footwear designers and pattern developers to achieve consistency and quality in their products.

Effects of supportive and minimalist footwear on standing balance and walking stability in older women

BackgroundFootwear has been shown to influence balance and is an important consideration in relation to the prevention of falls. However, it remains unclear as to what type of footwear is most beneficial for balance in older people: sturdy, supportive footwear, or minimalist footwear to maximise plantar sensory input. The objectives of this study were therefore to compare standing balance and walking stability in older women wearing these two footwear styles, and to investigate participants’ perceptions in relation to comfort, ease of use and fit.MethodsOlder women (n = 20) aged 66 to 82 years (mean 73.4, SD 3.9) performed a series of laboratory tests of standing balance (eyes open and closed on floor and foam rubber mat, near tandem standing) and walking stability (treadmill, level and irregular surface) using a wearable sensor motion analysis system. Participants were tested wearing supportive footwear (incorporating design features to improve balance) and minimalist footwear. Perceptions of the footwear were documented using structured questionnaires.ResultsThere were no statistically significant differences in balance performance between the supportive and minimalist footwear. Participants perceived the supportive footwear to be significantly more attractive to self and others, easier to put on and off but heavier compared to the minimalist footwear. Overall comfort was similar between the footwear conditions, although the supportive footwear was reported to be significantly more comfortable in the heel, arch height, heel cup, heel width and forefoot width regions. Eighteen participants (90%) reported that they felt more stable in the supportive footwear and 17 (85%) reported that they would consider wearing them to reduce their risk of falling.ConclusionBalance performance and walking stability were similar in supportive footwear designed to reduce the risk of falling and minimalist footwear, although participants preferred the supportive footwear in relation to aesthetics, ease of use, comfort and perceived stability. Prospective studies are now required to ascertain the longer-term advantages and disadvantages of these footwear styles on comfort and stability in older people.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry. ACTRN12622001257752p, 20/9/2022 (prospectively registered).

Footwear and insole design parameters to prevent occurrence and recurrence of neuropathic plantar forefoot ulcers in patients with diabetes: a series of N-of-1 trial study protocol

BackgroundFoot complications occur in conjunction with poorly controlled diabetes. Plantar forefoot ulceration contributes to partial amputation in unstable diabetics, and the risk increases with concomitant neuropathy. Reducing peak plantar forefoot pressure reduces ulcer occurrence and recurrence. Footwear and insoles are used to offload the neuropathic foot, but the success of offloading is dependent on patient adherence. This study aims to determine which design and modification features of footwear and insoles improve forefoot plantar pressure offloading and adherence in people with diabetes and neuropathy.MethodsThis study, involving a series of N-of-1 trials, included 21 participants who had a history of neuropathic plantar forefoot ulcers. Participants were recruited from two public hospitals and one private podiatry clinic in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. This trial is non-randomised and unblinded. Participants will be recruited from three sites, including two high-risk foot services and a private podiatry clinic in Sydney, Australia. Mobilemat™ and F-Scan® plantar pressure mapping systems by TekScan® (Boston, USA) will be used to measure barefoot and in-shoe plantar pressures. Participants’ self-reports will be used to quantify the wearing period over a certain period of between 2 and 4 weeks during the trial. Participant preference toward footwear, insole design and quality-of-life-related information will be collected and analysed. The descriptive and inferential statistical analyses will be performed using IBM SPSS Statistics (version 27). And the software NVivo (version 12) will be utilised for the qualitative data analysis.DiscussionThis is the first trial assessing footwear and insole interventions in people with diabetes by using a series of N-of-1 trials. Reporting self-declared wearing periods and participants’ preferences on footwear style and aesthetics are the important approaches for this trial. Patient-centric device designs are the key to therapeutic outcomes, and this study is designed with that strategy in mind.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12620000699965p. Registered on June 23, 2020

A new methodology to estimate flat foot in skeletal remains - the example of Mediterranean collections.

Flat feet (pes planus) are considered a postural defect caused by the collapse of the longitudinal arch, producing complete or near-complete contact of the sole of the foot with the ground. Pes planus has been well-studied in clinical literature and paleoanthropology but has not been approached extensively in bioarchaeology. The main difficulty is related to the diagnosis of this pathology based exclusively on bone remains. In this work, we propose a metric and morphological method to discriminate flat foot in dry bones. Thus, we studied 390 pairs of adult feet in a fair state of preservation from archaeological contexts from Spain, Italy, and Oman. Morphological variability, angles, and dimensions of both the normal bones and the bones displaying flat foot characteristics were analyzed. We found a correlation between the presence of flat foot and some morphological and metric features, mainly in the subtalar and Chopart joints. These results are expressed through a combination of morphological and metric variables, which are useful to discriminate between these two groups. No markedly significant differences of flat foot frequencies between the Spanish and Italian series were found across centuries. However, we noticed a notable increase of the prevalence of flat foot in the contemporary collection, possibly due to the consequences of a rise in life expectancy and modern styles of footwear.

Pedestrian attribute recognition using two-branch trainable Gabor wavelets network.

Keeping an eye on pedestrians as they navigate through a scene, surveillance cameras are everywhere. With this context, our paper addresses the problem of pedestrian attribute recognition (PAR). This problem entails recognizing attributes such as age-group, clothing style, accessories, footwear style etc. This multi-label problem is extremely challenging even for human observers and has rightly garnered attention from the computer vision community. Towards a solution to this problem, in this paper, we adopt trainable Gabor wavelets (TGW) layers and cascade them with a convolution neural network (CNN). Whereas other researchers are using fixed Gabor filters with the CNN, the proposed layers are learnable and adapt to the dataset for a better recognition. We propose a two-branch neural network where mixed layers, a combination of the TGW and convolutional layers, make up the building block of our deep neural network. We test our method on twoo challenging publicly available datasets and compare our results with state of the art.

Pedestrian attribute recognition using trainable Gabor wavelets

Surveillance cameras are everywhere keeping an eye on pedestrians or people as they navigate through the scene. Within this context, our paper addresses the problem of pedestrian attribute recognition (PAR). This problem entails the extraction of different attributes such as age-group, clothing style, accessories, footwear style etc. This is a multi-label problem with a host of challenges even for human observers. As such, the topic has rightly attracted attention recently. In this work, we integrate trainable Gabor wavelet (TGW) layers inside a convolution neural network (CNN). Whereas other researchers have used fixed Gabor filters with the CNN, the proposed layers are learnable and adapt to the dataset for a better recognition. We test our method on publicly available challenging datasets and demonstrate considerable improvements over state of the art approaches.

A novel approach for slip resistance evaluation of winter footwear based on probability of slipping and cost analysis

This paper proposes a slip-prediction model to estimate the probability of footwear slipping on ice. The mode is based on slips that are induced when human subjects are challenged by walking in a test chamber with full control over environmental conditions. This technique will help to evaluate the slip resistance quality of winter footwear in an ecologically valid manner. Four styles of winter footwear were tested by 8 participants on wet and dry ice surfaces with different slopes. The tests were repeated three times on different days. The probability of slipping was estimated for each incline angle using logistic regression analysis with three predictors: angle, ice condition and walking direction. In order to rank the quality of the winter footwear, a comprehensive cost analysis was performed to estimate the misclassification cost from the logistic regression. This method makes no assumption regarding the distribution of the data. The probability cutoff for each footwear style is obtained by minimizing the misclassification cost. The results show that increasing the incline angle significantly increases odds of slipping for all four styles (p<0.01). In addition, as indicated by the results, different styles of footwear perform differently on the various winter surfaces. Therefore, this method is able to rank the slip-resistance property of the footwear based on the probability of slipping.

Multi-Branch Gabor Wavelet Layers for Pedestrian Attribute Recognition

Surveillance cameras are everywhere, keeping an eye on pedestrians as they navigate through a scene. With this context, our paper addresses the problem of pedestrian attribute recognition (PAR). This problem entails recognizing attributes such as age-group, clothing style, accessories, footwear style etc. This is a multi-label problem and challenging even for human observers. The problem has rightly attracted attention recently from the computer vision community. In this paper, we adopt trainable Gabor wavelets (TGW) layers and use it with a convolution neural network (CNN). Whereas other researchers are using fixed Gabor filters with the CNN, the proposed layers are learnable and adapt to the dataset for a better recognition. We propose a multi-branch neural network where mixed-layers, a combination of the TGW and convolutional layer, make up the building block of our 3-branch deep neural network. We test our method on publicly available challenging datasets and compare our results with state of the art.

Sizing and grading methods with consideration of footwear styles

Sizing and grading are very important in footwear production, directly influencing the fit and comfort of footwear. Currently, the footwear industry relies on traditional sizing and grading systems, which vary around the world. Modern measuring technologies, such as 3D scanning and modeling, are starting to be used in footwear mass production. Sizing and grading of footwear is closely related to the sizing and grading of foot. This study investigates the application of principal component analysis (PCA) in sizing and grading methods and the influence of footwear styles based on 3D foot shapes. Three sizing and grading methods were simulated and evaluated. Results show that, compared to the traditional method, the sizing and grading using PCA method provides less modeling error, hence will result in better fit. Furthermore, the prediction error for various footwear styles are significantly different and the footwear fit near the sole could be achieved easier than instep and ankle region. This indicates that various sizing and grading rules can be applied focusing on different footwear styles in order to develop optimal sizes. Relevance to industryThe proposed new sizing and grading method could benefit the footwear industry since it provides a better fit comparing to the traditional method. The influence of footwear styles on prediction error gives more detailed insights for manufacturers to further understand the fitting result when applying the different sizing and grading methods.

Review of Terms and Definitions Used in Descriptions of Running Shoes.

Objective: Our study aim is to identify and describe the definitions used for different types of running shoes. In addition, we highlight the existence of gaps in these concepts and propose possible new approaches. Methods: This review was undertaken in line with the guidelines proposed by Green et al., based on a literature search (until December 2019) of the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, SPORTDiscus and Google Scholar databases. A total of 23 papers met the inclusion criteria applied to identify the definition of running shoes. Results: Although there is a certain consensus on the characteristics of minimalist footwear, it is also described by other terms, such as barefoot-style or barefoot-simulating. Diverse terms are also used to describe other types of footwear, and in these cases, there is little or no consensus regarding their characteristics. Conclusions: The terms barefoot-simulated footwear, barefoot-style footwear, lightweight shoes and full minimalist shoes are all used to describe minimalist footwear. The expressions partial minimalist, uncushioned minimalist and transition shoes are used to describe footwear with non-consensual characteristics. Finally, labels such as shod shoes, standard cushioned running shoes, modern shoes, neutral protective running shoes, conventional, standardised, stability style or motion control shoes span a large group of footwear styles presenting different properties.

Military-Type Workload and Footwear Alter Lower Extremity Muscle Activity During Unilateral Static Balance: Implications for Tactical Athletic Footwear Design.

Maintaining upright standing balance is critical for military personal. The impact of military footwear and occupation-related fatigue on muscle activity during balance performance has been previously documented. However, the current literature has not provided a muscle activation profile of the lower extremity during challenging conditions such as unilateral balance trials. Twenty-two recreationally active male participants (age: 22.2 ± 2.7 years; height: 177 ± 6.8 cm; mass: 79.8 ± 9.7 kg) donned two styles of military footwear (minimalist and standard) and performed a military style workload. Unilateral static balance was accessed before (PRE) and after (POST) the workload as surface electromyography was recorded on the right lower extremity. This study found that the minimalist footwear increased muscle activation prior to the workload compared to the standard footwear (co-contraction index mean difference: 0.149), whereas the standard footwear increased muscle activity after the workload (co-contraction index mean difference: 0.097). These findings suggest that footwear design characteristics affect lower extremity muscle activity differently depending on the workload condition. These findings intend to aid in the design of military footwear to maximize balance performance in a military population.

Minimalist Style Military Boot Does Not Improve Walking Economy Under Load In Trained Males

MINIMALIST STYLE MILITARY BOOT DOES NOT IMPROVE WALKING ECONOMY UNDER LOAD IN TRAINED MALES D.W. Sharp1, M.T. Pace1, J.C. Swain1, R.T. Albino1, J.M. Green1, L.G. Killen1, H. Chander2, J.D. Simpson3, E.K. O’Neal1. University of North Alabama, Florence, AL1, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS2, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL3. Footwear may be a simple external factor to improve rucking economy (RE) for soldiers that must carry heavy external loads, but it is also possible that with no flight phase, RE may not be enhanced by footwear style. This study compared RE with an ~500 g minimalist style boot (MIN) versus an ~800 g traditional style boot (TRD) while wearing a 16 kg external load consisting of a 7.5 kg weighted compression vest and ruck sack with 8.5 kg of weight. Male participants (n = 14) completed two testing sessions for this study. In session 1 participants completed a VO2 peak test (46.6 ± 7.3 ml/kg/min) under load while wearing their normal athletic shoes. The second session consisted of two 5-min walking treadmill sessions under load. Treadmill speed was based on the highest speed stage that allowed the participant to walk for the full stage during the VO2 peak test. RE was evaluated using indirect calorimetry (TrueOne2400, Parvo Medics Inc. Provo, Utah) and calculated by averaging the 60-s average values of minutes 3-4 and 4-5. Steady state was confirmed by a difference < 0.1 L/min between minutes 4 and 5. MIN and TRD were worn in a counter-balanced crossover order. There was a 10-min rest period between rucking bouts. RER did not differ between treatments (MIN = 0.86 ± 0.48; TRD = 0.86 ± 0.51; p = 0.96). A two-tailed t-test with an was ran for all data (α = 0.05). Although MIN (1.79 ± 0.23 L/min) tended (p = 0.13) to improve RE versus TRD (1.85 ± 0.30 L/min), breathing RPE was the only measure that reached significance (p = 0.045) between MIN (2.0 ± 0.9) versus TRD (2.4 ± 1.2). Altering boot type does not improve RE.

Do individuals with knee osteoarthritis wear appropriate footwear? A cross sectional analysis of common footwear styles and features

Do individuals with knee osteoarthritis wear appropriate footwear? A cross sectional analysis of common footwear styles and features

Effect of high and low-supportive footwear on female tri-planar knee moments during single limb landing

BackgroundHigher landing-related external knee joint moments at later stages of female pubertal development likely contribute to a higher incidence of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Athletic footwear may provide a potential strategy to alter higher knee moments.MethodsThirty-one late/post-pubertal girls (Tanner stage IV-V, menarche and growth spurt attained) performed a single limb drop lateral jump in three footwear conditions (barefoot, low support shoes and high support shoes), in which peak knee abduction moment (KAbM), flexion moment (KFM) and internal rotation moments (KIRM) were measured. Repeated measures ANOVA and ANCOVA were used to test for a main effect of footwear with and without foot posture index (FPI) as a covariate (p < 0.05) with post-hoc test carried out via Fisher’s Least Significant Difference (LSD).ResultsA main effect of footwear condition was observed for peak KFM (p < 0.05), but not KAbM or KIRM, in both unadjusted and adjusted models. Post-hoc analysis demonstrated that both high- and low-support shoes increased peak KFM compared with barefoot (p < 0.001).ConclusionOur findings indicate commercially available high- and low-supportive footwear increase peak KFM, but do not effect KAbM or KIRM while landing among late/post-pubertal girls. This suggests that these styles of footwear are inadequate at reducing higher knee moments in an at-risk cohort.

Characteristics of footwear worn by people with systemic lupus erythematosus: a comparison with age- and sex-matched healthy controls: a pilot study

BackgroundTo determine characteristics of footwear worn by people with systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE).MethodsTwenty-two people with SLE and twenty matched healthy controls participated in a cross-sectional study. Objective assessments of footwear included: fit, style, structure, motion control, cushioning, and wear. Footwear was classified as poor, average or good based on a standardised tool. Participants completed 100mm visual analogue scales for foot pain and footwear comfort and suitability. Participants with SLE were asked to indicate which footwear features were important to them using a validated checklist.ResultsNo differences were observed between groups for footwear fit, age, style, heel height, forefoot flexion or cushioning (all P>0.05). Compared to controls, a greater number of participants with SLE wore shoes with worn tread (65% vs. 91%, P=0.041), wore shoes with a lower motion control scale (median: 5.0 vs. 1.0, P=0.003), and rated their footwear as less comfortable (median: 90mm vs. 78mm, P=0.024) and less suitable (median: 88mm vs. 76mm, P=0.030). Participants with SLE experienced greater foot pain than controls (median: 17mm vs. 0mm, P=0.038). Comfort (95%), fit (95%) and style (86%) were identified as the most important footwear features by people with SLE.ConclusionsCompared to control participants, people with SLE wear shoes that are more worn and lack motion control. They also report greater foot pain and report their shoes to be less comfortable and suitable. These findings highlight the need for a further focus on the role of footwear in the management of foot problems in people with SLE.

Uwagi polemiczne do pracy Marquity Volken „Archaeological Footwear. Development of shoe patterns and styles from Prehistory till the 1600’s”1

One of the newest works on shoemaking was written in the Swiss Musee de la Chaussure in Lausanne. The author of the work, Marquita Volken, presented her own original way to organize source materials known mainly from archaeological excavations, but also from iconographic sources and old collections. The system is intended to be used primarily by novice researchers dealing with issues of development of shoemaking in Europe. In essence, the author has achieved her goal – she presented the development of footwear from prehistory to the seventeenth century, therefore this is another attempt to summarize the existing research results. However, the publication by M. Volken, despite the bulk of work involved, especially the careful preparation of the graphic part, contains a number of controversial statements and conclusions. The author attempts to define the styles of footwear, basic pattern templates, as well as the seams and stitches. A discussion on the diversity of footwear’s names and on suggestions as to their unification is a very important part of the work. M. Volken’s suggestions are certainly interesting, but the systematization and periodization model presented by her brings a lot of doubts. In the opinion of the Author, a new method was created, combining styles and pattern templates, reflecting fashion and stylistic and cultural aspects

Medical-grade footwear: the impact of fit and comfort

BackgroundPressure-related skin lesions on the digits are a significant cause of discomfort. Most foot pain related to ill-fitting shoes occurs in the forefoot and digital areas. Pain has been associated with poor shoe fit, reduced toe box volume, as well as contour and shape of the shoe Off-the-shelf medical-grade footwear is designed as an intervention for chronic lesions on the digits. These shoes are designed with a flexible neoprene fabric upper that is thought to reduce pressure on the forefoot and reduce discomfort associated with ill-fitting shoes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an off-the-shelf, medical-grade shoe on dorsal digital pressure and perceived comfort when compared to participant’s own preferred shoe.MethodsThirty participants (18 females, 12 males) scored their perceived comfort whilst wearing each footwear style using a visual analog comfort scale. Dorsal digital and interdigital pressures were measured in using the WalkinSense® in-shoe pressure system. Sensors were placed on predetermined anatomical landmarks on the digits. Participants were randomly assigned the test shoe and their own shoe. Once wearing the shoe, the participants walked across a 6 m walkway and pressure data from each sensor was collected and processed to obtain peak pressure, time to peak pressure and contact time.ResultsParticipants scored the test shoe with higher comfort points than their own footwear. Overall peak pressure, pressure time integral and contact time decreased, whilst the time taken to reach peak pressure increased across all anatomical landmarks whilst wearing the test shoe. Statistically significant changes were observed for all of the measured variables relating to pressure on the medial border of the first metatarsophalangeal joint.ConclusionThe test shoe provided greater comfort and reduced the amount of pressure on the forefoot. The medical-grade footwear therefore, is a viable alternative to custom made prescription footwear and is more suitable than a regular everyday shoe when treating digital lesions associated with pressure.

Effects of Indoor Footwear on Balance and Gait Patterns in Community-Dwelling Older Women

Background: Footwear worn indoors is generally less supportive than outdoor footwear and may increase the risk of falls. Objective: To evaluate balance ability and gait patterns in older women while wearing different styles of indoor footwear: a backless slipper and an enclosed slipper designed to optimise balance. Methods: Older women (n = 30) aged 65-83 years (mean 74.4, SD 5.6) performed a series of laboratory tests of balance ability (postural sway, limits of stability, and tandem walking, measured with the NeuroCom® Balance Master) and gait patterns (walking speed, cadence, and step length, measured with the GAITRite® walkway) while wearing (1) socks, (2) backless slippers with a soft sole, and (3) enclosed slippers with a firm sole and Velcro® fastening. Perceptions of the footwear were also documented using a structured questionnaire. Results: Significant overall effects of footwear were observed for postural sway, the limits of stability test (directional control), the tandem walk test (step width and end sway), and temporospatial gait patterns (walking speed, cadence, and step length). No footwear effects were observed for maximum excursion when performing the limits of stability test or for speed when performing the tandem walk test. Post hoc tests indicated that performances were best while wearing the enclosed slippers, intermediate with socks, and worst with backless slippers. The enclosed slippers were perceived to be more attractive, comfortable, and well fitted, but heavier than the backless slippers. Most participants (n = 23; 77%) reported that they would consider wearing the enclosed slippers to reduce their risk of falling. Conclusion: Indoor footwear with an enclosed heel, Velcro® fastening, and a firm sole optimises balance and gait compared to backless slippers, and is therefore recommended to reduce the risk of falling.

Footwear characteristics in people with inflammatory arthritis in Singapore.

BackgroundFoot problems are common in people with inflammatory arthritis. Despite suitable footwear having the potential to alleviate pain, improve mobility and maintain independence, previous studies have found many people with inflammatory arthritis wearing poorly fitting and inappropriate footwear. Footwear styles and characteristics have not been reported in a Singapore inflammatory arthritis population. The objective of this study was to identify current footwear styles and characteristics of footwear worn by people with inflammatory arthritis in Singapore.MethodsOne-hundred-and-one participants with inflammatory arthritis were recruited from the rheumatology outpatient clinic of a large public hospital in Singapore. Disease and clinical characteristics were recorded. A patient-reported outcome included current foot pain. An objective footwear assessment of style, age of shoe, fit and construction was conducted.ResultsThe majority of participants were Chinese women with a mean (SD) age was 52.0 (15.0) years old and a mean (SD) disease duration of 9.3 (0.3) years. We found 50 % of participants (n = 51) reported footwear problems. Sandals (n = 27, 26 %), flip-flops (n = 19, 19 %) and moccasin type (n = 19, 19 %) was the most common footwear choice. Evaluation of footwear characteristics found that there was a lack of motion control features. Only 32 (32 %) participants had correctly fitting footwear with regard to length, width and depth. No participant was wearing therapeutic footwear.ConclusionThis study provides the first insight into footwear preferences of people with inflammatory arthritis in Singapore. Use of slip-on and poorly fitting footwear was found to be common in people with inflammatory arthritis. Further research on footwear preferences in Southeast-Asian communities needs to take into account cultural habit and preference, socio-economic status, footwear options and affordability.

Slip resistance of winter footwear on snow and ice measured using maximum achievable incline

Protective footwear is necessary for preventing injurious slips and falls in winter conditions. Valid methods for assessing footwear slip resistance on winter surfaces are needed in order to evaluate footwear and outsole designs. The purpose of this study was to utilise a method of testing winter footwear that was ecologically valid in terms of involving actual human testers walking on realistic winter surfaces to produce objective measures of slip resistance. During the experiment, eight participants tested six styles of footwear on wet ice, on dry ice, and on dry ice after walking over soft snow. Slip resistance was measured by determining the maximum incline angles participants were able to walk up and down in each footwear–surface combination. The results indicated that testing on a variety of surfaces is necessary for establishing winter footwear performance and that standard mechanical bench tests for footwear slip resistance do not adequately reflect actual performance.Practitioner Summary: Existing standardised methods for measuring footwear slip resistance lack validation on winter surfaces. By determining the maximum inclines participants could walk up and down slopes of wet ice, dry ice, and ice with snow, in a range of footwear, an ecologically valid test for measuring winter footwear performance was established.