Development of training programmes provided for academicstaff of Libyan universities

This study examines the implementation of Training Programmes (TPs) for the academic staff (AS) in Libyan Universities (LUs), where AS are key members of this community and supporting their continuing professional development to underpin excellence in learning and teaching is a high priority. A comprehensive analysis of the problems linked to the implantation of TPs in Libyan institutions is performed. It is obvious the pronounced TPs gap between Libya and the developed world due to social, political and economic conditions in an Arab countries where the primary delivery educational model is essentially traditional. Then possible ways of implementing successfully TPs in Libyan educational institutions by considering successful UK examples.This study identify the necessary factors for the affective implementation of training programmes in order to improve the performance of academic staff of Libyan universities.. A single case study approach is adopted within one institution which is Tripoli University (UoT). The methodology used in the research had quantitative and qualitative. This study analyses data collected through a questionnaire with the holders of the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) in select fourteen UK universities in order to investigate their opinion and perception about this Certificate, followed by four semi-structured interviews with the PGCHE holder in order to clarify their ideas and with three academic providers of such TPs to obtain more information from different viewpoints. In addition, semi-structured interviews undertaken with 31 AS from UoT in Libya.This study makes contributions to knowledge in: a) attempted to bridge the gap in knowledge within the HE sector by providing an empirical understanding of the phenomenon within this sector; b) the identification of barriers to the implementation of TPs which led to; narrowing the gap in the knowledge in the field of academic training about implementation-barriers in HE in general that has never been explored before ; c) identifies issues around the improvement of existing universities in Libya and the development of future Libyan universities; d) it also leads to the potential identification2of ways that could improve HE in Libya and lead to education quality improvements for Libyan society; e) The recommendations of this research could aid the Libyan government to identify changes necessary in the Libyan HEIs in general so that they achieve the level of their counterparts in the developed countries; f) identification of the key factors affecting the implementation of TPs in LUs has helped in preparing the framework provided by the researcher at the end of this thesis, which could be used towards remedying the problems affecting TPs in LUs

Proceedings of the Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference (SPARC) 2011

These proceedings bring together a selection of papers from the 2011 Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference(SPARC). It includes papers from PhD students in the arts and social sciences, business, computing, science and engineering, education, environment, built environment and health sciences. Contributions from Salford researchers are published here alongside papers from students at the Universities of Anglia Ruskin, Birmingham City, Chester,De Montfort, Exeter, Leeds, Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores and Manchester

Operational risk assessment of offshore transport barges

Offshore operations such as load-out/float-off, transportation and installation involve a large number of operational hazards which impose high risks on human safety and assets. During such operations, there are many situations in which transport barges and Heavy Lift Vessels (HLVs) may expose to significant hazards including structural and mechanical failures. In this work, the system of a submersible barge was reviewed based on a Hazard Identification (HAZID) technique in order to identify the worst-case scenarios during load-out/float-off operations. In addition, a fuzzy set approach was developed to quantify and assess the risk level during offshore operations of an offshore structure due to several hazardous scenarios. Rule-based fuzzy logic models were created and tested using different types of membership functions to calculate risk values, and the potential hazard impacts on the safety of crew members, the environment, the barge and the offshore structure being loaded/launched were evaluated. Fuzzy set techniques enabled a further sensitivity analysis to be conducted for the top-ranked failure modes. Overall, the paper contributes towards the development of the current guidelines for offshore operations

Crystal structure, phase transitions, dielectric and vibrational studies and photoluminescence properties of a new iron fluoride based on bipyridine

The new iron-fluoride, based on bipyridine formulated as FeF3(2,2′-bpy) (2,2′-bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine), was obtained by hydrothermal synthesis. The crystalline structure was characterized by single crystal X-Ray diffraction data analysis. It crystallizes in monoclinic space group Cc, with a = 14.030(4) Å, b = 9.487(3) Å, c = 7.650(2) Å and β = 103.287(3)º. Moreover, it exhibits three-dimensional organic-inorganic network, resulting from the association of [FeF4N2]∞ chains pertaining to corner sharing FeF4N2 octahedra extending along with the c-axis linked through weak C–H...F hydrogen bonds. The thermal analysis (TG, SDTA and DSC) of the title compound reveals the presence of the phase transitions at high temperature. In order to shed light on the electrical conductivity and dielectric properties of the title compound, we carried out, in the frequency range 200 to 2E5 Hz, impedance spectroscopy technique, in the temperature range 310–380K. The conductivity relaxation parameters of some H+ conducting in the FeF3(2,2′-bpy) material were determined from an analysis pertaining to electric conductivity data. Transport properties in this material appear due to proton hopping mechanism. Finally, the optical properties were evaluated by photoluminescence spectroscopy.We acknowledge financial support from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Tunisia and Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MAT2016–78155-C2-1-R and FPI grant BES-2011–046948 to MSM.A.)

Soil and seedling response to dehydrated septic tank sludge versus forest floor additions at a disturbed site

Over a period of 2 yr, the effects of dehydrated septic tank sludge application on the chemical properties of a severely disturbed forest clayey soil were assessed and compared with application of native forest floor (i.e., from neighboring forest). Six treatments [fresh and mature sludges × two depths (15 and 25 cm), forest floor, and a control] were replicated three times according to a complete random design. Total organic C and N concentrations of amendments and their chemical structure, based on 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, were determined. Mineral soil C and N concentrations and C mineralization rates were monitored as well as nutrient supply rates using Plant Root Simulator™ probes. White spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss] seedling foliar nutrition and growth were also monitored. NMR spectroscopy revealed differences among amendments, with the forest floor spectra displaying lower O-alkyl C and higher alkyl C and carbonyl C proportions relative to sludge. Neither soil C concentrations nor mineralization were significantly improved in the mineral soil under any treatment, even at application rates exceeding 700 t sludge ha−1 (dry mass). The sludges supplied more NO3 and P, and less NH4 and K to the mineral soil than the forest floor and control. Increased nutrient availability under sludge and forest floor generally resulted in improved foliar nutrition and growth of white spruce seedlings. Despite differences in organic matter quality and mineral N form supplied by sludge and forest floor, sludge application is a valid restoration approach

A meta-analysis of mesophyll conductance to CO2in relation to major abiotic stresses in poplar species

Mesophyll conductance (gm) determines the diffusion of CO2 from the substomatal cavities to the site of carboxylation in the chloroplasts and represents a critical component of the diffusive limitation of photosynthesis. In this study, we evaluated the average effect sizes of different environmental constraints on gm in Populus spp., a forest tree model. We collected raw data of 815 A-Ci response curves from 26 datasets to estimate gm, using a single curve-fitting method to alleviate method-related bias. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the effects of different abiotic stresses on gm. We found a significant increase in gm from the bottom to the top of the canopy that was concomitant with the increase of maximum rate of carboxylation and light-saturated photosynthetic rate (Amax). gm was positively associated with increases in soil moisture and nutrient availability, but was insensitive to increasing soil copper concentration and did not vary with atmospheric CO2 concentration. Our results showed that gm was strongly related to Amax and to a lesser extent to stomatal conductance (gs). Moreover, a negative exponential relationship was obtained between gm and specific leaf area, which may be used to scale-up gm within the canopy