Meeting the cultural and service needs of Arabic international students by using QFD

Quality has become an important factor in global competition for many reasons. Intensive global competition and the demand for better quality by customers has led organizations to realize the benefits of providing quality products and services in order to successfully compete and survive. Higher education institutions are one example of these organisations. Higher education institutions work in an intensive competitive environment worldwide driven by increasing demands for learning by local and international students. As a result, the managers of these sectors have realized that improving the quality of services is important for achieving customer satisfaction which can help survival in an internationally competitive market. To do this, it is necessary for organizations to know their customers and identify their requirements. To this end, many higher education institutions have adopted principles of total quality management (TQM) to improve their education quality which leads to better performance through involvement of every department to achieve excellence in business. This chapter considers the importance of measuring quality in order to assist universities to proactively manage the design and improvement of the social and academic experiences of postgraduate international students, and plan management decision-making processes to deliver high-quality services in a globalized business of provision of higher education. Higher education institutions must operate effectively and efficiently and be able to deliver quality programs, by seeking to better understand the needs of their customers to be competitive in this market space

Synthesis of M-UiO-66 (M = Zr, Ce or Hf) employing 2,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid as a linker: Defect chemistry, framework hydrophilisation and sorption properties

Metal–organic frameworks of general composition [M6(OH)4(O)4(PDC)6−x(Cl)2x(H2O)2x] with M = Zr, Ce, Hf; PDC2− = 2,5-pyridinedicarboxylate and 0 ≤ x ≤ 2 were obtained under reflux using formic, nitric or acetic acid as an additive. Rietveld refinements carried out using a fixed occupancy of the linker molecules according to the results of thermogravimetric measurements confirmed that the MOFs crystallize in the UiO-66 type structure and demonstrate that the structural models describe the data well. Further characterization was carried out by NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Zr K-edge EXAFS- and Ce L3-edge XANES measurements. To highlight the influence of the additional nitrogen atom of the pyridine ring, luminescence and vapour sorption measurements were carried out. The hydrophilisation of the MOFs was shown by the adsorption of water at lower p/p0 (<0.2) values compared to the corresponding BDC-MOFs (0.3). For water and methanol stability cycling adsorption experiments were carried out to evaluate the MOFs as potential adsorbents in heat transformation applications

Monitoring the mechanism of formation of [Ce(1,10−phenanthroline)2(NO3)3][Ce(1,10-phenanthroline)_{2}(NO_{3})_{3}] by in situ luminescence analysis of 5d–4f electronic transitions

This work introduces the application of the in situ luminescence analysis of coordination sensors (ILACS) technique for monitoring the emission of Ce$^{3+}$ 5d–4f electronic transitions under real reaction conditions during the formation of [Ce(phen)$_2$(NO$_3$)$_3$] (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline). The mechanism of formation indicated by the ILACS data was confirmed by several additional methods, including ex situ and synchrotron-based in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, in situ light transmission, and in situ infrared (IR) spectroscopy, among others. Initially, the in situ luminescence measurements presented a broad emission band at 415–700 nm, which was assigned to the Ce$^{3+}$ ions in ethanolic solution. Upon the addition of the phen solution to the reactor, a gradual shift of the emission band to lower energies (500–900 nm) was observed. This occurs due to the changes in the Ce$^{3+}$ coordination environment during its incorporation into the solid [Ce(phen)$_2$(NO$_3$)$_3$] complex. In situ IR measurements during the crystallization of [Ce(phen)$_2$(NO$_3$)$_3$] confirmed the kinetics of the crystallization process by detecting changes in the phen and nitrate vibrations at e.g. 842 and 1301 cm−1, respectively. Simultaneous in situ XRD measurements confirmed the induction time of approximately 3 minutes after the addition of the phen solution, previously detected by the in situ luminescence measurements, coinciding with the onset of the [Ce(phen)$_2$(NO$_3$)$_3$] Bragg reflections. In situ monitoring of events occurring during the formation of solid materials is a crucially important step for developing rational synthesis approaches and for tailoring structure-related properties, such as luminescence

Formation of Bi₂Ir nanoparticles in a microwave-assisted polyol process revealing the suboxide Bi₄Ir₂O

Intermetallic phases are usually obtained by crystallization from the melt. However, phases containing elements with widely different melting and boiling points, as well as nanoparticles, which provide a high specific surface area, are hardly accessible via such a high-temperature process. The polyol process is one option to circumvent these obstacles by using a solution-based approach at moderate temperatures. In this study, the formation of Bi2Ir nanoparticles in a microwave-assisted polyol process was investigated. Solutions were analyzed using UV-Vis spectroscopy and the reaction was tracked with synchrotron-based in situ powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The products were characterized by PXRD and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Starting from Bi(NO3)(3) and Ir(OAc)(3), the new suboxide Bi4Ir2O forms as an intermediate phase at about 160 degrees C. Its structure was determined by a combination of PXRD and quantum-chemical calculations. Bi4Ir2O decomposes in vacuum at about 250 degrees C and is reduced to Bi2Ir by hydrogen at 150 degrees C. At about 240 degrees C, the polyol process leads to the immediate reduction of the two metal-containing precursors and crystallization of Bi2Ir nanoparticles

New insights into the crystallization of polymorphic materials: from real-time serial crystallography to luminescence analysis

Detailed analysis of reaction mechanisms by in situ techniques are important for detecting metastable intermediates, analysing polymorphic transitions and thereby for the discovery of new compounds. This article presents the first combination of serial crystallography with in situ luminescence and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements to monitor the synthesis of [Eu(phen)2(NO3)3] (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline). In a batch reaction, it is found that this complex is polymorphic, crystallizing into two distinct monoclinic structures. We track the evolution of the synthesis conditions for these phases using in situ XRD combined with real time measurements of pH value, ion conductivity, infrared (IR) spectroscopy and in situ luminescence analysis of coordination sensors (ILACS). However, in a flow reactor a different combination of phases is produced. A serial crystallography experiment utilizing a nanofocused synchrotron X-ray beam to identify individual crystallites reveals the simultaneous formation of the two phases, as well as, a third unknown phase. This showcases the feasibility of phase detection on an individual crystallite level to track the synthesis of new materials