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The purpose of this study is to investigate the main factors that affect liquidity risk in the UAE Islamic banks.

The study examines the annual data of the seven UAE Islamic banks over the period 2008-2014. Random effects panel data model is used to estimate the impact of four bank-specific variables and two macroeconomic ones on the liquidity risk of the UAE Islamic banks via their impact on five alternative liquidity ratios.

The paper finds that bank size has a negative impact on liquidity risk according to two liquidity ratios only, and an insignificant impact according to the other three. Both capital adequacy and London interbank offered rate have significant negative impacts on liquidity risk for three liquidity ratios, and insignificant impacts on two. The effect of credit risk is negative for all adopted ratios, while that of return on assets is negative for one ratio only. Finally, real GDP has a positive effect on two ratios and an insignificant one on the others.

The study provides insights for policymakers and practitioners to choose appropriate liquidity management procedures. It emphasizes that identifying efficient procedures or policies depends on the liquidity ratio that is used as a proxy of liquidity risk and its definition, in addition to the correlation between the liquidity ratio and liquidity risk. The study also provides some guidance to Islamic banks in the UAE concerning the main factors impacting their liquidity, which can eventually enable them to support their liquidity management policies, in a way that would expand their customer base according to profitability aspects, and not only religious ones.

The paper adds to the relatively limited literature on liquidity risk in Islamic banks. It also is the first study that investigates the determinants of liquidity risk facing Islamic banks in the UAE using five alternative liquidity ratios.

The current scourge of COVID-19 in educational enterprise requires that libraries tame the wave of the pandemic through effective leadership. This paper aims to investigate library leadership in Nigeria and COVID-19 pandemic.

Descriptive research design was used for the study. A structured questionnaire designed with Google Form and administered online was used to elicit data from 137 heads of academic and public libraries and their deputies in South West, Nigeria.

It was found that transformational and transactional leadership styles were more effective than laissez-faire style in managing libraries during crisis. Library operations were reduced during the COVID-19 era, and communication and meetings were conducted via social media. The spread of the pandemic was curtailed through enforcement of the use of face mask and nose covers and awareness campaign through posters and handbills.

It is the library heads with effective leadership styles that will be productive in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study is novel, as it approaches the handling of COVID-19 in libraries from the perspective of the leadership styles of the library leaders. No studies have emanated from Africa in this area. The few available narratives are centred around the Western countries. Meanwhile, managers of libraries in Nigeria are not immune to leadership crisis in the handling of the COVID-19 in their respective libraries.

This paper presents the second part of the investigation on resistance to elevated temperatures of a proposed hybrid composite concrete (NCSF-Crete) mix. The composite including nano metakaolin (NC) and steel fibers (SF) in addition to regular concrete components has proven -in the first published part-earlier promoted fresh concrete behavior, and to have reduced loss in compressive strength after exposure to a wide range of elevated temperatures. This presented work evaluates another two critical mechanical characteristics for the proposed composite -namely- splitting and bond strengths.

A modified formula correlating splitting and compressive strength (28 days) based on experiments results for NCSF is proposed and compared to formulas derived for regular concrete in different design codes. Finally, both spitting and bond strengths are evaluated pre- and post-exposure to elevated temperatures reaching 600 °C for two hours.

The proposed NCSF-Crete shows remarkable fire endurance, especially in promoting bond strength as after 600 °C heat exposure tests, it maintained strength equivalent to 70% of a regular concrete control mix at room temperature. Improving residual splitting strength was very significant up to 450 °C exposure.

Obvious deterioration is monitored in splitting resistance for all concretes at 600 °C.

This proposed composite improved elevated heats resistance of the most significant concrete mechanical properties.

Using a more green and sustainable constituents in the composite.

The proposed composite gathers the merits of using NC and SF, each has been investigated separately as an addition to concrete mixes.

Nano-Clay (NC) is reported as a candidate partial replacement for cement, due to its abundance and relatively low cost - beside reported promotion of different concrete properties. On the other hand, Steel Fibres (SF) has proven to have a positive effect on post fire exposure residual strength of concrete. This paper aims to present the outcomes of a comprehensive research program assessing a hybrid mix between NC and SF in concrete mixtures (NCSF-CRETE).

Physical chemical and physical characterization of NC is performed using different tools as XRF spectrometer, and TEM micrograph. Fresh concrete properties of NSCF-CRETE as slump and air content are investigated. Enhancement in permeability using NSCF is verified by comparing its resistance to the penetration of chlorides resistance with regular concrete mix. Besides, the proposed NCSF-CRETE compressive strength is evaluated compared to mixes with NC and SF each used separately at different curing ages. Besides, NSCF and compared mixes are exposed to an indirect fire testing program – two hours exposure – for: 300, 450 and 600°C. Degradation in compressive strength was investigated after exposure to different temperatures and percentage of residual strength is reported.

Results indicated an improved performance of NCSF -CRETE of about 40% compared to regular concrete in compressive strength at normal conditions. This improvement extended to its behavior when subjected to indirect fire exposure NSCF also maintained 40% more strength than the residual in regular concrete mix – which suffered severe damage – after 2 h exposure to 600°C.

Using NCSF-Crete allows retrofitting the structure after exposure to such drastic conditions.