Search results for: seismic capacity assessment

Authors: Nikolai David Blaskow

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Nietzsche's scholarship in the main has never quite resolved its deeply divided, at times self-contradictory responses to what Friedrich Nietzsche might have actually meant by his notion of the 'will to power'. Yet, in the context of the current global pandemic and climate change crisis, never has there been a more urgent need to investigate and resolve that contradiction. This paper argues for the 'will to power' as being a potentially irrational-rational psychopathology, one that can properly be understood only by means of Nietzsche's agonistic insights into another psychopathology—that of ressentiment. The argument also makes a case for the contention that amor fati (Nietzsche’s positive affirmation of life) may prove to be ressentiment's cure. In addition, as an integral part of the case’s methodology, the lens defined as the Mimetic and Scapegoat theory of Rene Girard (1923-2015) is brought to bear on resolving the contradiction. Ressentiment and Mimetic Theory will prove to be key players in the investigation, in as much as they expose the reasons for a modernity in crisis. The major finding of this study is that when the explanatory power of the two theories is applied, an understanding of the dynamics of the crisis in which we find ourselves emerges. The keys to that insight will include: (1) how these two psychopathologies closely resemble the contemporary neurologically defined 'borderline conditions' and their implications for culture (2) how identity politics stifle exemplary leadership, and so create toxic cultures (3) a critical assessment of Achille Mbembe's (2019) re-working of Frantz Fanon's 'ethics of the passerby' and its resonances with Nietzsche's amor fati.

Keywords: agon, amor fati, borderline conditions, ethics of the passer by, exemplary leadership, identity politics, mimesis, ressentiment, scapegoat mechanism

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Authors: Yogeeta O. Agrawal, Hitendra S. Mahajan, Sanjay J. Surana

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Methotrexate is effective in controlling recalcitrant psoriasis when administered by the oral or parenteral route long-term. However, the systematic use of this drug may provoke any of a number of side effects, notably hepatotoxic effects. To reduce these effects, clinical studies have been done with topical MTx. It is useful in treating a number of cutaneous conditions, including psoriasis. A major problem in topical administration of MTx currently available in market is that the drug is hydrosoluble and is mostly in the dissociated form at physiological pH. Its capacity for passive diffusion is thus limited. Localization of MTx in effected layers of skin is likely to improve the role of topical dosage form of the drug as a supplementary to oral therapy for treatment of psoriasis. One of the possibilities for increasing the penetration of drugs through the skin is the use of Nanostructured lipid Carriers. The objective of the present study was to formulate and characterize Methotrexate loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (MtxNLCs), to understand in vitro drug release and evaluate the role of the developed gel in the topical treatment of psoriasis. MtxNLCs were prepared by solvent diffusion technique using 3(2) full factorial design.The mean diameter and surface morphology of MtxNLC was evaluated. MtxNLCs were lyophilized and crystallinity of NLC was characterized by Differential Scanning Calorimtery (DSC) and powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The NLCs were incorporated in 1% w/w Carbopol 934 P gel base and in vitro skin deposition studies in Human Cadaver Skin were conducted. The optimized MtxNLCs were spherical in shape, with average particle size of 253(±9.92)nm, zeta potential of -30.4 (±0.86) mV and EE of 53.12(±1.54)%. DSC and XRD data confirmed the formation of NLCs. Significantly higher deposition of Methotrexate was found in human cadaver skin from MtxNLC gel (71.52 ±1.23%) as compared to Mtx plain gel (54.28±1.02%). Findings of the studies suggest that there is significant improvement in therapeutic index in treatment of psoriasis by MTx-NLCs incorporated gel base developed in this investigation over plain drug gel currently available in the market.

Keywords: methotrexate, psoriasis, NLCs, hepatotoxic effects

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Authors: Guanghua Lu, Zhenhua Yan

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To investigate the estrogenic contamination and potential risk of Taihu Lake, eight active biomonitoring points in the northern section of Taihu Lake were set up and located in Wangyuhe River outlet (P1), Gonghu Bay (P2 and P3), Meiliang Bay (P4 and P5), Zhushan Bay (P6 and P7) and Lake Centre (P8). A suite of biomarkers in caged fish after in situ exposure for 28 days, coupled with six selected exogenous estrogens in water, were determined in May and December 2011. Six target estrogens, namely estrone (E1), 17b-estradiol (E2), ethinylestradiol (EE2), estriol (E3), diethylstilbestrol (DES) and bisphenol A (BPA), were quantified using UPLC/MS/MS. The concentrations of E1, E2, E3, EE2, DES and BPA ranged from ND to 3.61 ng/L, ND to 17.3 ng/L, ND to 1.65 ng/L, ND to 10.2 ng/L, ND to 34.6 ng/L, and 3.95 to 207 ng/L, respectively. BPA was detected at all sampling points at all test periods, E2 was detected at 95% of samples, E1 and EE2 was detected at 75% of samples, and E3 was detected only in December 2011 with quite low concentrations. Each individual estrogen concentration measured at each sampling point was multiplied by its relative potency to gain the estradiol equivalent (EEQ). The total EEQ values in all the monitoring points ranged from 5.69 to 17.8 ng/L in May 2011, and from 4.46 to 21.1 ng/L in December 2011. E2 and EE2 were thought to be the major causal agents responsible for the estrogenic activities. Serum vitellogenin and E2 levels, gonadal DNA damage, and gonadosomatic index were measured in the in situ exposed fish. An enhanced integrated biomarker response (EIBR) was calculated and used to evaluate potential feminization risk of fish in the polluted area of Taihu Lake. EIBR index showed good agreement with the observed total EEQ levels in water. Our results indicated that Gong bay and the lake center had a low estrogenic risk, whereas Wangyuhe River, Meiliang Bay, and Zhushan Bay might present a higher risk to fish.

Keywords: active biomonitoring, estrogen, feminization risk, Taihu Lake

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Authors: Aliya K. Salahova

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Scientific thinking is a fundamental cognitive skill that plays a crucial role in preparing young minds for an increasingly complex world. This study explores the connection between scientific thinking and the ability to ask questions in children aged 5-9. The research aims to identify and assess how questioning ability serves as an indicator of scientific thinking development in this age group. A longitudinal investigation was conducted over a span of 240 weeks, involving 72 children from diverse backgrounds. The participants were divided into an experimental group, engaging in weekly STEM activities, and a control group with no STEM involvement. The development of scientific thinking was evaluated through a comprehensive assessment of questioning skills, hypothesis formulation, logical reasoning, and problem-solving abilities. The findings reveal a significant correlation between the ability to ask questions and the level of scientific thinking in children aged 5-9. Participants in the experimental group exhibited a remarkable improvement in their questioning ability, which positively influenced their scientific thinking growth. In contrast, the control group, devoid of STEM activities, showed minimal progress in questioning skills and subsequent scientific thinking development. This study highlights the pivotal role of questioning ability as a key indicator of scientific thinking in young children. The results provide valuable insights for educators and researchers, emphasizing the importance of fostering and nurturing questioning skills to enhance scientific thinking capabilities from an early age. The implications of these findings are crucial for designing effective educational interventions to promote scientific curiosity and critical thinking in the next generation of scientific minds.

Keywords: scientific thinking, education, STEM, intervention, psychology, pedagogy, collaborative learning, longitudinal study

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Authors: Ananya Ananya, Karthik Rao

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Accurate segmentation of knee cartilage in 3-D magnetic resonance (MR) images for quantitative assessment of volume is crucial for studying and diagnosing osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, one of the major causes of disability in elderly people. Radiologists generally perform this task in slice-by-slice manner taking 15-20 minutes per 3D image, and lead to high inter and intra observer variability. Hence automatic methods for knee cartilage segmentation are desirable and are an active field of research. This paper presents design and experimental evaluation of 2D convolutional neural networks based fully automated methods for knee cartilage segmentation in 3D MRI. The architectures are validated based on 40 test images and 60 training images from SKI10 dataset. The proposed methods segment 2D slices one by one, which are then combined to give segmentation for whole 3D images. Proposed methods are modified versions of U-net and dilated convolutions, consisting of a single step that segments the given image to 5 labels: background, femoral cartilage, tibia cartilage, femoral bone and tibia bone; cartilages being the primary components of interest. U-net consists of a contracting path and an expanding path, to capture context and localization respectively. Dilated convolutions lead to an exponential expansion of receptive field with only a linear increase in a number of parameters. A combination of modified U-net and dilated convolutions has also been explored. These architectures segment one 3D image in 8 – 10 seconds giving average volumetric Dice Score Coefficients (DSC) of 0.950 - 0.962 for femoral cartilage and 0.951 - 0.966 for tibia cartilage, reference being the manual segmentation.

Keywords: convolutional neural networks, dilated convolutions, 3 dimensional, fully automated, knee cartilage, MRI, segmentation, U-net

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Authors: Jaidev Tripathy

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A human generation’s lifestyle, behaviors, habits, and actions are governed heavily by homogenous mindsets. But the current scenario is witnessing a rapid gap in this homogeneity as a result of an intervention, or rather, the dominance of the digital revolution in the human lifestyle. The current mindset for mass production, employment, multi-tasking, rapid involvement, and stiff competition to stay above the rest has led to a major shift in human consciousness. Architecture, as an entity, is being perceived differently. The screens are replacing the skies. The pace at which operation and evolution is taking place has increased. It is paradoxical, that time seems to be moving faster despite the intention to save time. Parallelly, there is an evident shift in architectural typologies spanning across different generations. The architecture of today is now seems influenced heavily from here and there. Mass production of buildings and over-exploitation of resources giving shape to uninspiring algorithmic designs, ambiguously catering to multiple user groups, has become a prevalent theme. Borrow-and-steal replaces influence, and the diminishing depth in today’s designs reflects a lack of understanding and connection. The digitally dominated world, perceived as an aid to connect and network, is making humans less capable of real-life interactions and understanding. It is not wrong, but it doesn’t seem right either. The engagement level between human beings and the built environment is a concern which surfaces. This leads to a question: Does human engagement drive architecture, or does architecture drive human engagement? This paper attempts to relook at architecture's capacity and its relativity with pace to influence the conscious decisions of a human being. Secondary research, supported with case examples, helps in understanding the translation of human engagement with the built environment through physicality of architecture. The procedure, or theme, is pace and the role of slowness in the context of human behaviors, thus bridging the widening gap between the human race and the architecture themselves give shape to, avoiding a possible future dystopian world.

Keywords: junkspace, pace, perception, slowness

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Authors: Zelalem Markos Borko

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Work-related stress is a reaction that occurs when the work weight progress toward becoming excessive. Therefore, unless properly managed, stress leads to high employee turnover, decreased performance, illness and absenteeism. Yet, little has been addressed regarding work-related stress and its predictors in the study area. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess stress prevalence and its predictors in the study area. To that effect, a cross-sectional study design was conducted on 281 employees from the Ethiopian Federal Bureau of Investigation by using stratified random sampling techniques. Survey questionnaire scales were employed to collect data. Data were analyzed by percentage, Pearson correlation coefficients, simple linear regression, multiple linear regressions, independent t-test and one-way ANOVA statistical techniques. In the present study13.9% of participants faced high stress, whereas 13.5% of participants faced low stress and the rest 72.6% of officers experienced moderate stress. There is no significant group difference among workers due to age, gender, marital status, educational level, years of service and police rank. This study concludes that factors such as role conflict, performance over-utilization, role ambiguity, and qualitative and quantitative role overload together predict 39.6% of work-related stress. This indicates that 60.4% of the variation in stress is explained by other factors, so other additional research should be done to identify additional factors predicting stress. To prevent occupational stress among police, the Ethiopian Federal Bureau of Investigation should develop strategies based on factors that will help to develop stress reduction management.

Keywords: work-related stress, Ethiopian federal bureau of investigation, predictors, Addis Ababa

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Authors: Tran Dinh Lan, Do Thi Thu Huong

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Among the 17 goals of the United Nations, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, SDG 14.2 and SDG 14.4 under SDG 14 directly address the sustainable management, exploitation, and use of marine ecosystems. To achieve these goals, it is necessary to quantify the level of sustainable use of marine ecosystems, which have been paid attention for more than two decades in the direction of a quantitative approach by indicator and index development using methods of building and analyzing indicators and indices. With the employment of the above methods, over the past two decades, a number of marine ecosystems in Vietnam have been quantitatively evaluated for sustainable use for integrated coastal and marine management. Thirty indicators for sustainable use of marine ecosystems in the Northeast of Vietnam, together with indices, have been developed to assess mangrove, coral, and beach ecosystems. An assessment shows the following results. The mangrove ecosystem declined from sustainable to unsustainable uses in the period 1989-2007. The coral ecosystem in 2003 was at a sensitive point between sustainable and unsustainable uses. The beach ecosystem was evaluated with ten selected beaches in the period 2013-2018, showing that nine beaches are at a sustainable level, and one beach is at an unsustainable level. The Thua Thien-Hue coastal lagoon ecosystem assessed by 21 indicators of environmental vulnerability in 2014 showed less sustainability. The marine ecosystems around the offshore islands of Bach Long Vi, Con Co, and Tho Chu were tested to assess the level of sustainable use by the index of total economic value. The results show that these ecosystems are being used sustainably but are also at risk of falling to an unsustainable level (Tho Chu). The use of the environmental vulnerability index or economic value index to evaluate ecosystem sustainability only reflects parts of the function or value of the system but does not fully reflect the sustainability of the system.

Keywords: index, indicators, sustainability evaluation, Vietnam marine ecosystems

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Authors: Vuyayo Tsheleza, Simbarashe Ndhleve, Christopher Mpundu Musampa

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Mismanagement of waste is continuously emerging as a rising malpractice in most developing countries, especially in fast growing cities. Household solid waste in Mthatha has been reported to be one of the problems facing the city and is overwhelming local authorities, as it is beyond the environment and management capacity of the existing waste management system. This study estimates per capita waste generation, quantity of different waste types generated by inhabitants of formal and informal settlements in Mthatha as well as waste management practices in the aforementioned socio-economic stratums. A total of 206 households were systematically selected for the study using stratified random sampling categorized into formal and informal settlements. Data on household waste generation rate, composition, awareness, and household waste management behaviour and practices was gathered through mixed methods. Sampled households from both formal and informal settlements with a total of 684 people generated 1949kg per week. This translates to 2.84kg per capita per week. On average, the rate of solid waste generation per capita was 0.40 kg per day for a person living in informal settlement and 0.56 kg per day person living in formal settlement. When recorded in descending order, the proportion food waste accounted for the most generated waste at approximately 23.7%, followed by disposable nappies at 15%, papers and cardboards 13.34%, glass 13.03%, metals at 11.99%, plastics at 11.58%, residue at 5.17, textiles 3.93%, with leather and rubber at 2.28% as the least generated waste type. Different waste management practices were reported in both formal and informal settlements with formal settlements proving to be more concerned about environmental management as compared to their counterparts, informal settlement. Understanding attitudes and perceptions on waste management, waste types and per capita solid waste generation rate can help evolve appropriate waste management strategies based on the principle of reduce, re-use, recycle, environmental sound disposal and also assist in projecting future waste generation rate. These results can be utilized as input when designing growing cities’ waste management plans.

Keywords: awareness, characterisation, per capita, quantification

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Authors: Seada Hussen, Frie Ayalew

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Integrating different energy resources, like solar PV and hydro, is used to ensure reliable power to rural communities like Hara village in Ethiopia. Hybrid power system offers power supply for rural villages by providing an alternative supply for the intermittent nature of renewable energy resources. The intermittent nature of renewable energy resources is a challenge to electrifying rural communities in a sustainable manner with solar resources. Major rural villages in Ethiopia are suffering from a lack of electrification, that cause our people to suffer deforestation, travel for long distance to fetch water, and lack good services like clinic and school sufficiently. The main objective of this project is to provide a balanced, stable, reliable supply for Hara village, Ethiopia using solar power with a pumped hydro energy storage system. The design of this project starts by collecting data from villages and taking solar irradiance data from NASA. In addition to this, geographical arrangement and location are also taken into consideration. After collecting this, all data analysis and cost estimation or optimal sizing of the system and comparison of solar with pumped hydro and solar with battery storage system is done using Homer Software. And since solar power only works in the daytime and pumped hydro works at night time and also at night and morning, both load will share to cover the load demand; this need controller designed to control multiple switch and scheduling in this project fuzzy logic controller is used to control this scenario. The result of the simulation shows that solar with pumped hydro energy storage system achieves good results than with a battery storage system since the comparison is done considering storage reliability, cost, storage capacity, life span, and efficiency.

Keywords: pumped hydro storage, solar energy, solar PV, battery energy storage, fuzzy logic controller

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Authors: Aneta Binkowska, Grzegorz Michalak, Slawomir Pilip, Lukasz Bondaruk, Daniel Celinski, Robert Slotwinski

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Post-traumatic mortality rates are still very high and show an increasing tendency. Early identification of patients at high risk of severe complications has a significant impact on treatment outcomes. The aim of the study was to better understand the early pathological inflammatory response to injury and infection and to determine the usefulness of the assessment of TNF-α and sTNFR1 concentrations in the peripheral blood as early indicators of severe post-traumatic complications. The study was carried out in a group of 51 patients after trauma treated in the ED, including 32 patients that met inclusion criteria for immunological analysis. Patients were divided into two groups using the ISS scale (group A with ISS ≥20, group B with ISS <20). Serum levels of TNF-α and sTNFR1 were determined after admission to the ED and after 3, 6, 12 and 24 hours. The highest TNF-α and sTNFR1 concentrations in both groups were recorded at admission and were significantly higher in group A compared to group B (A vs B TNF-α 2.46 pg/ml vs 1.78 pg/ml; sTNFR1 1667.5 pg/ml vs 875.2 p<0.005). The concentration of sTNFR1 in patients with severe complications was significantly higher compared to patients without complications and preceded clinical symptoms of complications ( C+ vs C- 1561.5 pg/ml vs 930.6 pg/ml). Spearman's correlation showed a statistically significant positive correlation between the baseline concentrations of IL-6 (r=0.38, p<0.043) and sTNFR1 (r=0.59, p=0.001) and the ISS scores. The high diagnostic sensitivity calculated from the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curves was found for the concentrations of both cytokines: TNF α (AUC=0.91, p=0.004) and sTNFR1 (AUC=0.86, p=0.011). Elevated levels of sTNFR1, determined in the peripheral blood shortly after injury, is significantly associated with the occurrence of later complications, which in some patients lead to death. In contrast, high levels of TNF-α shortly after injury are associated with high mortality.

Keywords: cytokine, SIRS, MODS, trauma

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Authors: Victoria I. Michailova, Denitsa B. Momekova, Hristiana A. Velichkova, Evgeni H. Ivanov

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The aim of this work is to design and develop thermo-responsive nanosized drug delivery systems based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-g-poly(ethylene oxide) (PNIPAM-g-PEO) double hydrophilic graft copolymers. The PNIPAM-g-PEO copolymers are able to self-assemble in water into nanoparticles above the LCST of the thermo-responsive PNIPAM backbone and to disassemble and rapidly release the entrapped drugs upon cooling. However, their drug delivery applications are often hindered by their low loading capacity as the drugs to be encapsulated do not dissolve in water. In order to overcome this limitation, here we applied a low-temperature procedure with ethanol as an alternative route to the formation and loading a model hydrophobic drug, Indomethacin (IMC), into PNIPAM-g-PEO nanoparticles. The rationale for this approach was that ethanol dissolves both IMC and the copolymer and its mixing with water may induce micellization of PNIPAM-g-PEO at temperatures lower than the LCST. The influence of the volume fraction of ethanol and the temperature on the aggregation characteristics of PNIPAM-g-PEO copolymers (2.7 mol% PEO) was investigated by means of DLS, TEM and rheological dynamic oscillatory tests. The studies showed rich phase behavior at T < LCST, incl. the formation of highly solvated 500-1000 nm complex structures, 30-70 nm micelles and polymersomes as well as giant polymersomes, as the fraction of added ethanol increased. We believe that the PNIPAM-g-PEO self-assembly is favored due to the different solvation of its constituting blocks in ethanol-water mixtures. The incorporation of IMC led to alteration of the physicochemical and morphological characteristics of the blank nanoparticles. In this case, only monodisperse polymersomes and micelles were observed in the solutions with an average diameter less than 65 nm and substantial drug loading (DLC ~117 – 146 wt%). Indomethacin release from the nanoparticles was responsive to temperature changes, being much faster at a temperature of 42oC compared to that of 37oC under otherwise the same conditions. The results obtained suggest that these PNIPAM-g-PEO nanoparticles could be potential in mild hyper-thermic delivery of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Keywords: drug delivery, nanoparticles, poly(N-isopropylacryl amide)-g-poly(ethylene oxide), thermo-responsive

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Authors: Sedef Şahin, Meral Huri

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Cerebral Palsy (CP) represents the most frequent cause of physical disability in children with a rate of 2,9 per 1000 live births. The activity-focused intervention is known to improve function and reduce activity limitations and barriers to participation of children with disabilities. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of occupational therapy on level of fatigue, activity performance and satisfaction in children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy. Twenty-two children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy (mean age: 9,3 ± 2.1years; Gross Motor Function Classification System ( GMFCS) level from I to V (I = 54%, II = 23%, III = 14%, IV= 9%, V= 0%), Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) level from I to V (I = 40%, II = 32%, III = 14%, IV= 10%, V= 4%), were assigned to occupational therapy program for 6 weeks.Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used for intensity of the fatigue they experienced at the time on a 10 point Likert scale (1-10).Activity performance and satisfaction were measured with Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM).A client-centered occupational therapy intervention was designed according to results of COPM. The results were compared with nonparametric Wilcoxon test before and after the intervention. Thirteen of the children were right-handed, whereas nine of the children were left handed.Six weeks of intervention showed statistically significant differences in level of fatigue, compared to first assessment(p<0,05). The mean score of first and the second activity performance scores were 4.51 ± 1.70 and 7.35 ± 2.51 respectively. Statistically significant difference between performance scores were found (p<0.01). The mean scores of first and second activity satisfaction scores were of 2.30± 1.05 and 5.51 ± 2.26 respectively. Statistically significant difference between satisfaction assessments were found (p<0.01). Occupational therapy is an evidence-based approach and occupational therapy interventions implemented by therapists were clinically effective on severity of fatigue, activity performance and satisfaction if implemented individually during 6 weeks.

Keywords: activity performance, cerebral palsy, fatigue, occupational therapy

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Authors: N. Bekenova, A. Aitkaliyev, B. Kassiyeva, T. Vochshenkova

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Cardiac autonomic neuropathy is not always detected in diabetes, and its phenotypic manifestations may not be evident. Therefore, the study of genetic markers predisposing to the disease is gaining increasing relevance. Research Objective: The goal is to investigate the association of polymorphisms in the APOE and FTO genes with cardiac autonomic neuropathy among individuals of Kazakh nationality. Materials and Methods: A case-control study included 147 patients with cardiac autonomic neuropathy (cases) and 153 patients without cardiac autonomic neuropathy (controls). 300 individuals of Kazakh nationality were recruited from a hospital affiliated with the RSE ‘Medical Centre Hospital of the President's Affairs Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan.’ Patients were genotyped for 5 FTO gene polymorphisms (rs17817449, rs1121980, rs11075995, rs9939609, rs12149832) and 2 APOE gene polymorphisms (rs429358, rs7412) using real-time PCR. Statistical analysis involved Chi-square methods and calculation of odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and was performed using the Gen Expert genetic calculator. Results. Our research revealed an association between cardiac autonomic neuropathy and rs12149832 (FTO) and rs429358 (APOE). The AA genotype of the rs12149832 polymorphism was found to double the risk of neuropathy development, while the GA genotype decreased the risk of autonomic neuropathy (2.21 (1.38-3.52) and 0.61 (0.38-0.96), respectively, p=0.003). Additionally, we identified that the TC genotype of rs429358 predisposes individuals to the development of cardiac autonomic neuropathy, while the CC genotype decreases the risk (2.23 (1.18-4.22) and 0.26 (0.03-2.31), respectively). Conclusion. Thus, polymorphisms in the APOE and FTO genes (rs429358 and rs12149832) are associated with a predisposition to cardiac autonomic neuropathy and may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Further research with a larger sample size and an assessment of their impact on the phenotype is necessary.

Keywords: polymorphisms, APOE gene, FTO gene, automatic neuropathy, Kazakh population.

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Authors: Amos King'ori Githu

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Water safety is crucial for all ages, but particularly for children. In the past decade, preschool institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa have seen the inclusion of swimming as one of the co-curricular activities. However, these countries face challenges in adopting frameworks, staffing, and resources to heighten water safety, quality, and drowning prevention, hence the focus of this research. It is worth noting that drowning is a leading cause of injury-related deaths among children. Universally, the highest drowning rates occur among children aged 1-4 years and 5-9 years. Preschool children even stand a higher risk of drowning as they are active, eager, and curious to explore their environment. If not supervised closely around or in water, these children can drown quickly in just a few inches of water. Thus, this empirical review focuses on the identification, assessment, and analysis of water safety efforts to curb drowning among children and assess the quality of water to mitigate contamination that may eventually pose infection risks to the children. In addition, it outlines the use of behavioral theories and evaluation frameworks to guide the above. Notably, a search on ten databases was adopted for crucial peer-reviewed articles, and five were selected in the eventual review. This research relied extensively on secondary data to curb water infections and drowning-inflicted deaths among children. It suffices to say that interventions must be supported that adopt an array of strategies, are guided by planning and theory as well as evaluation frameworks, and are vast in intervention design, evaluation, and delivery methodology. Finally, this approach will offer solid evidence that can be shared to guide future practices and policies in preschools on child safety and drowning prevention.

Keywords: water quality and safety, drowning prevention, preschool children, sub-saharan Africa, supervision

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Authors: Jigg L. Pelayo, Ricardo G. Villar, Einstine M. Opiso

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The advances of aerial laser scanning in the Philippines has open-up entire fields of research in remote sensing and machine vision aspire to provide accurate timely information for the government and the public. Rapid mapping of polygonal roads and roof boundaries is one of its utilization offering application to disaster risk reduction, mitigation and development. The study uses low density LiDAR data and high resolution aerial imagery through object-oriented approach considering the theoretical concept of data analysis subjected to machine learning algorithm in minimizing the constraints of feature extraction. Since separating one class from another in distinct regions of a multi-dimensional feature-space, non-trivial computing for fitting distribution were implemented to formulate the learned ideal hyperplane. Generating customized hybrid feature which were then used in improving the classifier findings. Supplemental algorithms for filtering and reshaping object features are develop in the rule set for enhancing the final product. Several advantages in terms of simplicity, applicability, and process transferability is noticeable in the methodology. The algorithm was tested in the different random locations of Misamis Oriental province in the Philippines demonstrating robust performance in the overall accuracy with greater than 89% and potential to semi-automation. The extracted results will become a vital requirement for decision makers, urban planners and even the commercial sector in various assessment processes.

Keywords: feature extraction, machine learning, OBIA, remote sensing

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Authors: Jean Patrick Mve

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The increasing quest for efficiency, accountability, and transparency has led to the implementation of massive governance reforms among higher education systems worldwide. This is causing many changes in the governance of higher education institutions. Governments over the world are trying to adopt business-like organizational strategies to enhance the performance of higher education institutions. This study explores the changes that have taken place in the Cameroonian higher education sector. It also attempts to draw a picture of the likely future of higher education governance and the actions to be taken for the promotion of institutional effectiveness among higher education institutions. The “governance equalizer” is used as an analytical tool to this end. It covers the five dimensions of the New Public Management (NPM), namely: state regulation, stakeholder guidance, academic self-governance, managerial self-governance, and competition. Qualitative data are used, including semi-structured interviews with key informants at the organizational level and other academic stakeholders, documents and archival data from the university and from the ministry of higher education. It has been found that state regulation among higher education institutions in Cameroon is excessively high, causing the institutional autonomy to be very low, especially at the level of financial management, staffing and promotion, and other internal administrative affairs; at the level of stakeholder guidance there is a higher degree of stakeholders consideration in the academic and research activities among universities, though the government’s interest to keep its hands in most management activities is still high; academic self-governance is also very weak as the assignment of academics is done more on the basis of political considerations than competence; there is no real managerial self-governance among higher education institutions due to the lack of institutional capacity and insufficient autonomy at the level of decision making; there is a plan to promote competition among universities but a real competitive environment is not yet put into place. The study concludes that the government’s policy should make state control more relaxed and concentrate on steering and supervision. As well, real institutional autonomy, professional competence building for top management and stakeholder participation should be considered to guarantee competition and institutional effectiveness.

Keywords: Cameroon higher education, effective institutional governance, governance equalizer, institutional autonomy, institutional effectiveness

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Authors: Abhinav Mane, Kedar Karvande, Shubham Patel, Abhayraj Lodha

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Gravity filters are one of the most commonly used, economically viable and moderately efficient water purification systems. Their efficiency is mainly based on the type of filter media installed and its location within the filter mass. Several researchers provide valuable input in decision of the type of filter media. However, the choice is mainly restricted to the chemical combinations of different substances. This makes it very much dependent on the factory made filter media, and no cheap alternatives could be found and used. This paper presents the use of disinfectants and filter medias either available naturally or could be prepared using natural resources in conventional mechanism of gravity filter. A small scale laboratory investigation was made with variation in filter media thickness and its location from the top surface of the filter. A rigid steel frame based custom fabricated test setup was used to facilitate placement of filter media at different height within the filter mass. Finely grinded sun dried Neem (Azadirachta indica) extracts and porous burnt clay pads were used as two distinct filter media and placed in isolation as well as in combination with each other. Ground water available in Marathwada region of Maharashtra, India which mainly consists of harmful materials like Arsenic, Chlorides, Iron, Magnesium and Manganese, etc. was treated in the filters fabricated in the present study. The evaluation was made mainly in terms of the input/output water quality assessment through laboratory tests. The present paper should give a cheap and eco-friendly solution to prepare gravity filter at the merit of household skills and availability.

Keywords: fliter media, gravity filters, natural disinfectants, porous clay pads

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Authors: Asimiyu Mohammed Jinadu

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Housing is a basic necessity of life. Housing plays a central role in the life of living organisms as it provides the basic platform for the life support systems in human settlements. It is considered a social service and a basic right. Despite the importance of housing, Nigeria as a nation is faced with the problem of quantitative and qualitative shortfall in the number of housing units required to accommodate the citizens. This study examined the accessibility and affordability problems of low-income housing in Nigeria. It relied on secondary data obtained for the records of government ministries and agencies. Descriptive statistics were used in the analysis, and the information was presented in simple tables and charts. The findings show that over the years the government has provided serviced plots of land, owner occupier houses and mortgage loans for the people. As at 2016, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has completed a total of 23,038 housing units while another 14, 488 units were on-going under the Public Private Partnership scheme across the country. The study revealed that a total of 910, 671 housing units were proposed by the Government under the various low-income housing programmes between 1960 and 2017, but only 156, 336 units were delivered within the period, representing 17.17% success rate. Amongst others, the low-income group faced the problems of low access to and unaffordability of the few low-income housing delivered in Nigeria. The study recommended that all abandoned housing projects should be reviewed, rationalized, completed and made available to the targeted low-income people. Investment in micro housing finance, design and implementation of pro-poor housing programme and massive investment in innovative slum upgrading programmes by both the government and private sector are also recommended to ameliorate the housing problems of the low-income group in Nigeria.

Keywords: housing, low income group, problem, programme

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Authors: Mohamed Trigui, Fatma Masmoudi, Imen Zouari

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Massive utilizations of chemical fertilizer and chemical pesticides in agriculture sector to improve the farming productivity have created increasing environmental damages. Then, agriculture must become sustainable, focusing on production systems that respect the environment and help to reduce climate change. Isolation and microbial identification of new bacterial strains from naturally saline habitats and compost extracts could be a prominent way in pest management and crop production under saline conditions. In this study, potential mechanisms involved in plant growth promotion and suppressive activity against fungal diseases of a compost extract produced from poultry manure/olive husk compost and halotolerant and halophilic bacterial strains under saline stress were investigated. On the basis of the antimicrobial tests, different strains isolated from Sfax solar saltern (Tunisia) and from compost extracts were selected and tested for their plant growth promoting traits, such as siderophores production, nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization and the production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes (protease and lipase) under in-vitro conditions. Among 450 isolated bacterial strains, 16 isolates showed potent antifungal activity against the tested plant pathogenic fungi. Their identification based on 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed they belonged to different species. Some of these strains were also characterized for their plant growth promoting capacities. Obtained results showed the ability of four strains belonging to Bacillus genesis to ameliorate germination rate and root elongation compared to the untreated positive controls. Combinatorial capacity of halotolerant bacteria with antimicrobial activity and plant growth promoting traits could be promising sources of interesting bioactive substances under saline stress.

Keywords: abiotic stress, biofertilizer, biotic stress, compost extract, halobacteria, plant growth promoting (PGP), soil fertility

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Authors: Sasini U. G. Nanayakkara, Nishala E. Wedamulla, W. A. J. P. Wijesinghe

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Lovi (Flacourtia inermis) is an underutilized fruit crop grown in Sri Lanka with promising antioxidant properties; thus, exhibits the great potential to use as a natural antioxidant. With the concern of synthetic antioxidants, there is a growing trend towards the addition of a natural antioxidant to retard the rancidity of edible oils. Hence, in this backdrop, extract obtained from the peel of F. inermis fruit was used to retard the rancidity of selected edible oils. Free fatty acid (FFA) content and peroxide value (PV) of sunflower oil (SO) and virgin coconut oil (VCO) were measured at 3-day intervals for 21 days at 65 ± 5°C after addition of extract at 500, 1000, 2000 ppm levels and α-tocopherol at 500 ppm level was used as positive control. SO and VCO without added extract was used as the control. The extract was prepared with 70% ethanol using ultrasound-assisted extraction, and antioxidant efficacy and total phenolic content (TPC) of the extract were measured using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity and Folin-Ciocalteu method respectively. Antioxidant activity (IC50) and TPC of the extract were 227.14 ± 4.12 µgmL⁻¹ and 4.87 ± 0.01 mg GAE per gram, respectively. During the storage period, FFA content and PV of both oils were increased with time. However, SO showed comparatively high PV than that of VCO and thereby indicate the progression of lipid oxidation as PV is a good indicator of the extent of primary oxidative products formed in oils. The most effective extract concentration was 2000 ppm. After 21 days of storage, VCO (control) sample exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) high FFA (0.36%) and PV (1.93 meq kg⁻¹) than that of VCO with 1000 ppm (FFA: 0.35%; PV: 1.72 meq kg⁻¹) and 2000 ppm (FFA: 0.28%; PV: 1.19 meq kg-1) levels of extract. Thus, demonstrates the efficacy of lovi peel extract in retardation of lipid oxidation of edible oils during storage at higher concentrations of the extract addition. Moreover, FFA and PV of SO (FFA: 0.10%; PV: 12.38 meq kg⁻¹) and VCO (FFA: 0.28%; PV: 1.19 meq kg⁻¹) at 2000 ppm level of extract were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than that of positive control: SO with α-tocopherol (FFA: 0.22%, PV: 17.94 meq kg⁻¹) and VCO with α-tocopherol (FFA: 0.29%, PV: 1.39 meq kg⁻¹) after 21 days. Accordingly, lovi peel extract at 2000 ppm level was more effective than α-tocopherol in retardation of lipid oxidation of edible oils. In conclusion, lovi peel extract has strong antioxidant properties and can be used as a natural antioxidant to inhibit deteriorative oxidation of edible oils.

Keywords: antioxidant, Flacourtia inermis, peroxide value, virgin coconut oil

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Authors: Yassine Bouzouita, Oumaima Belghith, Cyrine Zitoun, Charles Bonneau

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Performance measurement framework (PMF) is an essential tool in any organization to assess the performance of its processes. It guides businesses to stay on track with their objectives and benchmark themselves from the market. With the growing trend of the digital transformation of business processes, led by innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) & Big Data applications, developing a mature system capable of capturing the impact of digital solutions across different industries became a necessity. Based on the conducted research, no such system has been developed in academia nor the industry. In this context, this paper covers a variety of methodologies on performance measurement, overviews the major AI and big data applications in the banking sector, and covers an exhaustive list of relevant metrics. Consequently, this paper is of interest to both researchers and practitioners. From an academic perspective, it offers a comparative analysis of the reviewed performance measurement frameworks. From an industry perspective, it offers exhaustive research, from market leaders, of the major applications of AI and Big Data technologies, across the different departments of an organization. Moreover, it suggests a standardized classification model with a well-defined structure of intelligent digital solutions. The aforementioned classification is mapped to a centralized library that contains an indexed collection of potential metrics for each application. This library is arranged in a manner that facilitates the rapid search and retrieval of relevant metrics. This proposed framework is meant to guide professionals in identifying the most appropriate AI and big data applications that should be adopted. Furthermore, it will help them meet their business objectives through understanding the potential impact of such solutions on the entire organization.

Keywords: AI and Big Data applications, impact assessment, metrics, performance measurement

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Authors: Islam Zeb

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Water of poor quality has a potential of probable contamination and a way to spread pollutant in the field and surrounding environment. A number of comprehensive reviews articles have been published which highlight irrigation water as a source of pathogenic microorganisms and heavy metals toxicity that leads to chronic diseases in human. Here a study was plan to determine the microbial status of irrigation water collected from various location of district Swat in various months. The analyses were carried out at Environmental Horticulture Laboratory, Department of Horticulture, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, during the year 2018 – 19. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with two factors and three replicates. Factor A consist of different locations, and factor B represent various months. The results of microbial status for various locations in irrigation water showed the highest value for Total Bacterial Count, Enterobacteriacea, E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria (9.05, 8.54, 6.01, 5.84, and 5.03 log cfu L-1 respectively) for samples collected from mingora location, whereas the lowest values for Total Bacterial Count, Enterobacteriacea, E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria (6.70, 6.38, 4.47, 4.42 and 3.77 log cfu L-1 respectively) were observed for matta location. Data for various months showed maximum Total Bacterial Count, Enterobacteriacea, E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria (12.01, 11.70, 8.46, 8.41, and 6.88 log cfu L-1, respectively) were noted for the irrigation water samples collected in May/June whereas the lowest range for Total Bacterial Count, Enterobacteriacea, E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria (4.41, 4.08, 2.61, 2.55 and 3.39 log cfu L-1 respectively) were observed in Jan/Feb. A significant interaction was found for all the studied parameters it was concluded that maximum bacterial groups were recorded in the months of May/June from Mingora location, it might be due to favorable weather condition.

Keywords: contamination, irrigation water, microbes, SWAT, various months

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Authors: T. Abdulkadir

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Most often, marking and assessment of multiple choice kinds of examinations have been opined by many as a cumbersome and herculean task to accomplished manually in Nigeria. Usually this may be in obvious nexus to the fact that mass numbers of candidates were known to take the same examination simultaneously. Eventually, marking such a mammoth number of booklets dared and dread even the fastest paid examiners who often undertake the job with the resulting consequences of stress and boredom. This paper explores the evolution, as well as the set aim to envision and transcend marking the Multiple Choice Objectives- type examination into a thing of creative recreation, or perhaps a more relaxing activity via the use of the mobile phone. A more “pragmatic” dimension method was employed to achieve this work, rather than the formal “in-depth research” based approach due to the “novelty” of the mobile-smartphone e-Marking Scheme discovery. Moreover, being an evolutionary scheme, no recent academic work shares a direct same topic concept with the ‘use of cell phone as an e-marking technique’ was found online; thus, the dearth of even miscellaneous citations in this work. Additional future advancements are what steered the anticipatory motive of this paper which laid the fundamental proposition. However, the paper introduces for the first time the concept of mobile-smart phone e-marking, the steps to achieve it, as well as the merits and demerits of the technique all spelt out in the subsequent pages.

Keywords: cell phone, e-marking scheme (eMS), mobile phone, mobile-smart phone, multiple choice objectives (MCO), smartphone

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Authors: Khuram Nawaz Sadozai, Rizwan Ahmad, Munawar Raza Kazmi, Awais Habib

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Climate change and crop production are intrinsically associated with each other. Therefore, this research study is designed to assess the impact of climate change on pulses production in Southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province of Pakistan. Two pulses (i.e. chickpea and mung bean) were selected for this research study with respect to climate change. Climatic variables such as temperature, humidity and precipitation along with pulses production and area under cultivation of pulses were encompassed as the major variables of this study. Secondary data of climatic variables and crop variables for the period of thirty four years (1986-2020) were obtained from Pakistan Metrological Department and Agriculture Statistics of KP respectively. Panel data set of chickpea and mung bean crops was estimated separately. The analysis validate that both data sets were a balanced panel data. The Hausman specification test was run separately for both the panel data sets whose findings had suggested the fixed effect model can be deemed as an appropriate model for chickpea panel data, however random effect model was appropriate for estimation of the panel data of mung bean. Major findings confirm that maximum temperature is statistically significant for the chickpea yield. This implies if maximum temperature increases by 1 0C, it can enhance the chickpea yield by 0.0463 units. However, the impact of precipitation was reported insignificant. Furthermore, the humidity was statistically significant and has a positive association with chickpea yield. In case of mung bean the minimum temperature was significantly contributing in the yield of mung bean. This study concludes that temperature and humidity can significantly contribute to enhance the pulses yield. It is recommended that capacity building of pulses growers may be made to adapt the climate change strategies. Moreover, government may ensure the availability of climate change resistant varieties of pulses to encourage the pulses cultivation.

Keywords: climate change, pulses productivity, agriculture, Pakistan

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Authors: Messaoudi Mohammed Amin

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The reduction of available land resources and the increased cout associated with the use of hight quality materials have led to the need for local soils to be used in geotecgnical construction however, poor engineering properties of these soils pose difficulties for constructions project and need to be stabilized to improve their properties in oyher works unsuitable soils with low bearing capacity, high plasticity coupled with high insatbility are frequently encountered hense, there is a need to improve the physical and mechanical charateristics of these soils to make theme more suitable for construction this can be done by using different mechanical and chemical methods clayey soil stabilization has been practiced for quite sometime bu mixing additives, such us cement, lime and fly ash to the soil to increase its strength. The aim of this project is to study the effect of using lime, natural pozzolana or combination of both on the geotecgnical cherateristics of clayey soil. Test specimen were subjected to atterberg limits test, compaction test, box shear test and uncomfined compression test Lime or natural pozzolana was added to clayey soil at rangs of 0-8% and 0-20% respectively. In addition combinations of lime –natural pozzolana were added to clayey soil at the same ranges specimen were cured for 1-7, and 28 days after which they were tested for uncofined compression tests. Based on the experimental results, it was concluded that an important decrease of plasticity index was observed for thr samples stabilized with the combinition lime-natural pozzolana in addition, the use of the combination lime-natural pozzolana modifies the clayey soil classification according to casagrand plasiticity chart. Moreover, based on the favourable results of shear and compression strength obtained, it can be concluded that clayey soil can be successfuly stabilized by combined action of lime and natural pozzolana also this combination showed an appreciable improvement of the shear parameters. Finally, since natural pozzolana is much cheaper than lime ,the addition of natural pozzolana in lime soil mix may particulary become attractive and can result in cost reduction of construction.

Keywords: clay, soil stabilization, natural pozzolana, atterberg limits, compaction, compressive strength shear strength, curing

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Authors: Said Belaaouad

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This study aimed to explore the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) of 1,2,4-Triazine-3(2H)-one derivative as a potential anticancer agent against breast cancer. The electronic descriptors were obtained using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method, and a multiple linear regression techniques was employed to construct the QSAR model. The model exhibited favorable statistical parameters, including R2=0.849, R2adj=0.656, MSE=0.056, R2test=0.710, and Q2cv=0.542, indicating its reliability. Among the descriptors analyzed, absolute electronegativity (χ), total energy (TE), number of hydrogen bond donors (NHD), water solubility (LogS), and shape coefficient (I) were identified as influential factors. Furthermore, leveraging the validated QSAR model, new derivatives of 1,2,4-Triazine-3(2H)-one were designed, and their activity and pharmacokinetic properties were estimated. Subsequently, molecular docking (MD) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed to assess the binding affinity of the designed molecules. The Tubulin colchicine binding site, which plays a crucial role in cancer treatment, was chosen as the target protein. Through the simulation trajectory spanning 100 ns, the binding affinity was calculated using the MMPBSA script. As a result, fourteen novel Tubulin-colchicine inhibitors with promising pharmacokinetic characteristics were identified. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the QSAR of 1,2,4-Triazine-3(2H)-one derivative as potential anticancer agent, along with the design of new compounds and their assessment through molecular docking and dynamics simulations targeting the Tubulin-colchicine binding site.

Keywords: QSAR, molecular docking, ADMET, 1, 2, 4-triazin-3(2H)-ones, breast cancer, anticancer, molecular dynamic simulations, MMPBSA calculation

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Authors: Herke Csongor

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The artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in the United States of America in the decisionmaking process of the criminal justice system for decades. In the field of law, including criminal law, AI can provide serious assistance in decision-making in many places. The paper reviews four main areas where AI still plays a role in the criminal justice system and where it is expected to play an increasingly important role. The first area is the predictive policing: a number of algorithms are used to prevent the commission of crimes (by predicting potential crime locations or perpetrators). This may include the so-called linking hot-spot analysis, crime linking and the predictive coding. The second area is the Big Data analysis: huge amounts of data sets are already opaque to human activity and therefore unprocessable. Law is one of the largest producers of digital documents (because not only decisions, but nowadays the entire document material is available digitally), and this volume can only and exclusively be handled with the help of computer programs, which the development of AI systems can have an increasing impact on. The third area is the criminal statistical data analysis. The collection of statistical data using traditional methods required enormous human resources. The AI is a huge step forward in that it can analyze the database itself, based on the requested aspects, a collection according to any aspect can be available in a few seconds, and the AI itself can analyze the database and indicate if it finds an important connection either from the point of view of crime prevention or crime detection. Finally, the use of AI during decision-making in both investigative and judicial fields is analyzed in detail. While some are skeptical about the future role of AI in decision-making, many believe that the question is not whether AI will participate in decision-making, but only when and to what extent it will transform the current decision-making system.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, international criminal cooperation, planning and organizing of the investigation, risk assessment

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Authors: Thanh N. Do

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This paper addresses the modeling of two critical behaviors of concrete material in reinforced concrete components: (1) the increase in strength and ductility due to confining stresses from surrounding transverse steel reinforcements, and (2) the progressive deterioration in strength and stiffness due to high strain and/or cyclic loading. To improve the state-of-the-art, the author presents a new 3D constitutive model of concrete material based on plasticity and continuum damage mechanics theory to simulate both the confinement effect and the strength deterioration in reinforced concrete components. The model defines a yield function of the stress invariants and a compressive damage threshold based on the level of confining stresses to automatically capture the increase in strength and ductility when subjected to high compressive stresses. The model introduces two damage variables to describe the strength and stiffness deterioration under tensile and compressive stress states. The damage formulation characterizes well the degrading behavior of concrete material, including the nonsymmetric strength softening in tension and compression, as well as the progressive strength and stiffness degradation under primary and follower load cycles. The proposed damage model is implemented in a general purpose finite element analysis program allowing an extensive set of numerical simulations to assess its ability to capture the confinement effect and the degradation of the load-carrying capacity and stiffness of structural elements. It is validated against a collection of experimental data of the hysteretic behavior of reinforced concrete columns and shear walls under different load histories. These correlation studies demonstrate the ability of the model to describe vastly different hysteretic behaviors with a relatively consistent set of parameters. The model shows excellent consistency in response determination with very good accuracy. Its numerical robustness and computational efficiency are also very good and will be further assessed with large-scale simulations of structural systems.

Keywords: concrete, damage-plasticity, shear wall, confinement

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Authors: Xavier Bertrand, Alexandre Cayrel

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The early phase of an aircraft development is instrumental as it really drives the potential of a new concept. Any weakness in the high-level design (wing planform, moveable surfaces layout etc.) will be extremely difficult and expensive to recover later in the aircraft development process. Aerodynamic evaluation in this very early development phase is driven by two main criteria: a short lead-time to allow quick iterations of the geometrical design, and a high quality of the calculations to get an accurate & reliable assessment of the current status. These two criteria are usually quite contradictory. Actually, short lead time of a couple of hours from end-to-end can be obtained with very simple tools (semi-empirical methods for instance) although their accuracy is limited, whereas higher quality calculations require heavier/more complex tools, which obviously need more complex inputs as well, and a significantly longer lead time. At this point, the choice has to be done between accuracy and lead-time. A brand new approach has been developed within Airbus, aiming at obtaining quickly high quality evaluations of the aerodynamic of an aircraft. This methodology is based on a joint use of Surrogate Modelling and a lifting line code. The Surrogate Modelling is used to get the wing sections characteristics (e.g. lift coefficient vs. angle of attack), whatever the airfoil geometry, the status of the moveable surfaces (aileron/spoilers) or the high-lift devices deployment. From these characteristics, the lifting line code is used to get the 3D effects on the wing whatever the flow conditions (low/high Mach numbers etc.). This methodology has been applied successfully to a concept of medium range aircraft.

Keywords: aerodynamics, lifting line, surrogate model, CFD

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