Status of using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Its Effect on Faculty Members’ Performance

Introduction: Effective using of information and communication technology (ICT) by considering the globalization process and information revolution is the most important priorities in higher education. This research was conducted to investigate the Status of the using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Its Effect on Faculty Members´ Performance. Methodsthis descriptive-survey study was done (1395- 1396) on 52 faculty members of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences participated in the study by census method. Data were collected using­ an IT standardized and researcher-made questionnaires for evaluating educational and research performance. Validity of the questionnaires was calculated using content validity and reliability through Cronbach's alpha of 0.89, 0.82, respectively. In order to analyzing data, regression analysis test, T- test, One-Way ANOVA and SPSS were used. Result: The results of this study showed that the average use of information technology and research performance was relatively favorable, (3.19 ± 0.028; 2.58 ± 0.042), respectively and the mean of educational performance was favorable (3.95 ± 0.048). From information technology components, only Internet usage component was able to predict 6.1% of the educational performance of faculty members. None of the components was able to predict the scientific function of faculty members. There was a significant difference in using of information technology by faculty members according to rank, age, teaching experience. Conclusion: The existence of a suitable IT software and hardware, including virtual training developmental package to apply effective IT, requires fundamental steps in ICT using in educational and research activities by faculty members at this university

Sturdy, Monolithic SiC and Si₃N₄ Aerogels from Compressed Polymer-Cross-Linked Silica Xerogel Powders

We report the carbothermal synthesis of sturdy, highly porous ( \u3e 85%) SiC and Si3N4 monolithic aerogels from compressed polyurea-cross-linked silica xerogel powders. The high porosity in those articles was created via reaction of core silica nanoparticles with their carbonized polymer coating toward the new ceramic framework and CO that escaped. Sol-gel silica powder was obtained by disrupting gelation of a silica sol with vigorous agitation. The grains of the powder were about 50 µm in size and irregular in shape and consisted of 3D assemblies of silica nanoparticles as in any typical silica gel. The individual elementary silica nanoparticles within the grains of the powder were coated conformally with a nanothin layer of carbonizable polyurea derived from the reaction of an aromatic triisocyanate (TIPM: triisocyanatophenyl methane) with the innate -OH, deliberately added -NH2 groups, and adsorbed water on the surface of silica nanoparticles. The wet-gel powder was dried at ambient temperature under vacuum. The resulting free-flowing silica/polyurea xerogel powder was vibration-settled in suitable dies and was compressed to convenient shapes (discs, cylinders, donut-like objects), which in turn were converted to same-shape SiC or Si3N4 artifacts by pyrolysis at 1500 °C under Ar or N2, respectively. The overall synthesis was time-, energy-, and materials-efficient: (a) solvent exchanges within grains of powder took seconds, (b) drying did not require high-pressure vessels and supercritical fluids, and (c) due to the xerogel compactness, the utilization of the carbonizable polymer was at almost the stoichiometric ratio. Chemical and materials characterization of all intermediates and final products included solid-state 13C and 29Si NMR, XRD, SEM, N2-sorption, and Hg intrusion porosimetry. Analysis for residual carbon was carried out with TGA. The final ceramic objects were chemically pure, sturdy, with compressive moduli at 37 ± 7 and 59 ± 7 MPa for SiC and Si3N4, respectively, and thermal conductivities (using the laser flash method) at 0.163 ± 0.010 and 0.070 ± 0.001 W m-1 K-1, respectively. The synthetic methodology of this report can be extended to other sol-gel derived oxide networks and is not limited to ceramic aerogels. A work in progress includes metallic Fe(0) aerogels

Sturdy, Monolithic SiC and Si₃N₄ Aerogels from Compressed Polymer-Cross-Linked Silica Xerogel Powders

We report the carbothermal synthesis of sturdy, highly porous (>85%) SiC and Si3N4 monolithic aerogels from compressed polyurea-cross-linked silica xerogel powders. The high porosity in those articles was created via reaction of core silica nanoparticles with their carbonized polymer coating toward the new ceramic framework and CO that escaped. Sol–gel silica powder was obtained by disrupting gelation of a silica sol with vigorous agitation. The grains of the powder were about 50 μm in size and irregular in shape and consisted of 3D assemblies of silica nanoparticles as in any typical silica gel. The individual elementary silica nanoparticles within the grains of the powder were coated conformally with a nanothin layer of carbonizable polyurea derived from the reaction of an aromatic triisocyanate (TIPM: triisocyanatophenyl methane) with the innate −OH, deliberately added −NH2 groups, and adsorbed water on the surface of silica nanoparticles. The wet-gel powder was dried at ambient temperature under vacuum. The resulting free-flowing silica/polyurea xerogel powder was vibration-settled in suitable dies and was compressed to convenient shapes (discs, cylinders, donut-like objects), which in turn were converted to same-shape SiC or Si3N4 artifacts by pyrolysis at 1500 °C under Ar or N2, respectively. The overall synthesis was time-, energy-, and materials-efficient: (a) solvent exchanges within grains of powder took seconds, (b) drying did not require high-pressure vessels and supercritical fluids, and (c) due to the xerogel compactness, the utilization of the carbonizable polymer was at almost the stoichiometric ratio. Chemical and materials characterization of all intermediates and final products included solid-state 13C and 29Si NMR, XRD, SEM, N2-sorption, and Hg intrusion porosimetry. Analysis for residual carbon was carried out with TGA. The final ceramic objects were chemically pure, sturdy, with compressive moduli at 37 ± 7 and 59 ± 7 MPa for SiC and Si3N4, respectively, and thermal conductivities (using the laser flash method) at 0.163 ± 0.010 and 0.070 ± 0.001 W m–1 K–1, respectively. The synthetic methodology of this report can be extended to other sol–gel derived oxide networks and is not limited to ceramic aerogels. A work in progress includes metallic Fe(0) aerogels