22282 research outputs found
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Control of Electrons through Patterning of Superstructures in Sodium Cobaltate
No full textSodium Cobaltate (NaxCoO2) has emerged as a material of exceptional scientific and technological interest since it is among the best P-type thermoelectric materials.
The superstructures in pure NaxCoO2 templates the Coulomb landscape on the Co layers and is found to control the physical properties. The combination of the high electrical conductivity in the Co layers with the low thermal conductivity due to the rattling of sodium ions in cages, are the precise conditions for thermoelectric materials with high figures of merit. Replacing Na by divalent ions was reported to lead to a dramatic improvement in thermoelectric performance. The superstructures of NaxCayCoO2 and NaxSryCoO2 have been determined by Laue diffraction using neutrons on SXD at ISIS and x-rays at Royal Holloway. Reverse Monte-Carlo methods were used to determine Na ion patterning including the locations of the divalent ions. Co and O displacements were also determined that show buckling following the Na structure. In the doped systems we find completely new multi-vacancy clusters. Di-vacancies form in Ca doped systems where the divalent ion sits at the central site. In the Sr doped systems two new superlattices are observed, explained by the clustering of separated Sr ions with associated vacancies. Multiple valence states have been detected by NMR, which is a local probe, but spatial charge ordering in the cobalt layer has not previously been observed. We report new measurements using Resonant X-ray Scattering on the Materials and Magnetism beamline I16 at Diamond. We find resonant x-ray scattering with the same periodicity as the sodium superstructure, directly demonstrating that the electronic ordering in these cobalt layers is controlled by the sodium ordering. We are able to reproduce the energy, polarisation and azimuthal dependencies of the resonant x-ray scattering in calculations using the FDMNES code
The Indigenous Christians of the Arabic Middle East in an Age of Crusaders, Mongols, and Mamlūks (1244-1366)
No full textThis thesis examines the indigenous Christians of the Arabic Middle East from 1244-1366. During this period, the Muslim world was under external threat both from the Mongol invasions and from the latter Crusades. There were also internal developments in the area such as the rise of the Baḥrī Mamlūks and the hardening of Islamic religious and popular sentiment against Christians. The impact of these events on the various Christian Communities is analysed, paying particular attention to their diverse experiences, influence and participation in the political context. Efforts to strengthen each Community and instances of continued artistic and literary expression in the midst of adverse circumstances is also explored. The thesis argues that the situations and experiences of the different confessions varied widely according to time and place depending, for example, on whether the Christians were at the heart of power in Egypt or at the periphery in northern Syria. Overall, the thesis fills a void by addressing a neglected but important period in the demographic development of the diverse medieval Near East
ICT, Human Capital Development and Emiratisation of the Labour Market in the United Arab Emirates
No full textThe UAE’s labour market policy of Emiratisation is intended to replace expatriates with local workers by imposing restrictions on the employment of expatriate workers in the public sector and enforcing the private sector to employ nationals in certain types of jobs. This policy has been focused rather narrowly on administrative jobs in the finance and oil sector, and has not addressed the newly emerging ICT sector which is a cornerstone of the government’s long-term economic growth strategy. Moreover, strategies such as the Emiratisation policy and investment in the ICT sector are not currently taking place within the context of a proper analysis of labour market needs and problems.
The main aim of this study is to make a significant contribution to the knowledge base from which a sustainable national human resource policy in the UAE can be developed, by exploring the current barriers to successful working environments, and by assessing how the Emiratisation policy can be redesigned to focus more on new high-growth sectors, especially the ICT sector. The study also contributes more generally to the field of knowledge about how human capital supply can be improved through policy interventions and technology implementation. Furthermore, by adopting a conceptual framework based on established labour market and social network theories, the study is expected to improve understanding of the UAE economy and potential solutions to current labour market problems, thus offering considerable practical value to UAE decision-makers and policy officials.
The study employs a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of the relationship between human capital and ICT with special emphasis on harmonization. This is a mixed-methods study consisting of both quantitative and qualitative primary research data collection, as well as a review of literature. The quantitative research method used a semi-structured online questionnaire survey targeted at managers in the Oil/Gas and Banking/Finance sectors, future job-seekers (students), and other UAE labour market stakeholders and experts. This was followed up by in-depth interviews with ICT expert informants, to provide qualitative data. The results of the quantitative and qualitative components were integrated in a process of triangulation, to draw out their overall significance.
The principle finding of this research is that the mismatch between the supply and demand sides of the labour market in terms of skills and expectations is the main barrier to emiratisation. High percentages of Emirati students do not enter the labour market following graduation. UAE nationals have high job and salary expectations, and mainly focus on the public sector. Employers surveyed believe that the types of skills and qualifications they need are in short supply among UAE nationals, especially in relation to managerial and professional jobs. The cultural importance of contacts makes the recruitment process inefficient on both sides. Emiratisation can be expensive for organisations, would be more sustainable if compliance were better enforced by the UAE government, and needs to be better supported by a good education/training system which prepares UAE nationals for the needs of the labour market. The study concludes by advocating a gradual shift towards the knowledge economy as a way of rebalancing the labour market, proposing potential further research on the ICT field within the UAE’s private sector, with close attention to indigenization. On the demand side, more detailed nationally representative data might be collected on the skills requirements of private sector jobs in a range of sectors, so that the UAE education system can be better designed to meet the needs of the economy through human resource development
Learner Engagement in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Environments: A mixed-methods study in postgraduate education
No full textThe thesis draws on a mixed-methods study which empirically and theoretically investigates the ways in which postgraduate students engage in collaborative learning activities
facilitated by technology. The research is both significant and distinct in its
approach towards understanding how learners engage in real-life
computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) settings; what enables or
hinders learner engagement; and how engagement shapes the learning outcomes.
The ensuing findings indicate that learner engagement is embodied in human
behaviour, emotions, and reflection and therefore it is described as a
multi-dimensional concept. Learner engagement also appears to be a socially
distributed phenomenon – rather than a stable student characteristic –
influenced by various personal, group-level, and other situational factors, the
most prominent of which are captured by the Hierarchical Model of Enablers and
Barriers. The study also reveals that learner engagement presupposes purposeful
interaction which is presented as an integrative theme capturing the impact of
pedagogical design on engagement. Another observation is that particular combinations
of student actions, perspectives, and characteristics tend to resurface and
therefore may be considered as strong predictors of potential engagement (or
disengagement). This finding led to the development of the WISE Taxonomy of
Learner Engagement Archetypes which portrays the most universal engagement
approaches that emerged within the studied context. Finally, findings seem to
suggest that the way students envisage their learning outcomes is driven by the
engagement approach each student adopts, and vice-versa. When combined, the
proposed model, taxonomy, and conceptualisation of learner engagement
collectively define a holistic analytical framework labelled Distributed
Engagement Theory. The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to explore,
understand, and subsequently explain learner engagement aiming at making an
original contribution to existing CSCL literature as well as informing the
design of pedagogical models for enhancing learner engagement in CSCL
environments within postgraduate education
Intimate relationships in young people with perinatally-infected HIV: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
No full text
Cross-conformal predictors
No full textThis note introduces the method of cross-conformal prediction, which is a hybrid of the methods of inductive conformal prediction and cross-validation, and studies its validity and predictive efficiency empirically
ICT, Human Capital Development and Emiratisation of the Labour Market in the United Arab Emirates
No full textThe UAE’s labour market policy of Emiratisation is intended to replace expatriates with local workers by imposing restrictions on the employment of expatriate workers in the public sector and enforcing the private sector to employ nationals in certain types of jobs. This policy has been focused rather narrowly on administrative jobs in the finance and oil sector, and has not addressed the newly emerging ICT sector which is a cornerstone of the government’s long-term economic growth strategy. Moreover, strategies such as the Emiratisation policy and investment in the ICT sector are not currently taking place within the context of a proper analysis of labour market needs and problems.
The main aim of this study is to make a significant contribution to the knowledge base from which a sustainable national human resource policy in the UAE can be developed, by exploring the current barriers to successful working environments, and by assessing how the Emiratisation policy can be redesigned to focus more on new high-growth sectors, especially the ICT sector. The study also contributes more generally to the field of knowledge about how human capital supply can be improved through policy interventions and technology implementation. Furthermore, by adopting a conceptual framework based on established labour market and social network theories, the study is expected to improve understanding of the UAE economy and potential solutions to current labour market problems, thus offering considerable practical value to UAE decision-makers and policy officials.
The study employs a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of the relationship between human capital and ICT with special emphasis on harmonization. This is a mixed-methods study consisting of both quantitative and qualitative primary research data collection, as well as a review of literature. The quantitative research method used a semi-structured online questionnaire survey targeted at managers in the Oil/Gas and Banking/Finance sectors, future job-seekers (students), and other UAE labour market stakeholders and experts. This was followed up by in-depth interviews with ICT expert informants, to provide qualitative data. The results of the quantitative and qualitative components were integrated in a process of triangulation, to draw out their overall significance.
The principle finding of this research is that the mismatch between the supply and demand sides of the labour market in terms of skills and expectations is the main barrier to emiratisation. High percentages of Emirati students do not enter the labour market following graduation. UAE nationals have high job and salary expectations, and mainly focus on the public sector. Employers surveyed believe that the types of skills and qualifications they need are in short supply among UAE nationals, especially in relation to managerial and professional jobs. The cultural importance of contacts makes the recruitment process inefficient on both sides. Emiratisation can be expensive for organisations, would be more sustainable if compliance were better enforced by the UAE government, and needs to be better supported by a good education/training system which prepares UAE nationals for the needs of the labour market. The study concludes by advocating a gradual shift towards the knowledge economy as a way of rebalancing the labour market, proposing potential further research on the ICT field within the UAE’s private sector, with close attention to indigenization. On the demand side, more detailed nationally representative data might be collected on the skills requirements of private sector jobs in a range of sectors, so that the UAE education system can be better designed to meet the needs of the economy through human resource development
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