Graduate School USA

This study critically examined the effect of digital transformation on the delivery of premier banking services at Zanaco, with a specific focus on digital banking channels, digital customer relationship management (CRM) tools, and staff digital competence. Recognizing the growing role of technology in reshaping financial services, the study seeks to understand how these digital initiatives affect service efficiency, personalization, and overall client satisfaction among high-net-worth customers. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the SERVQUAL model, the research investigates the interplay between technology adoption, perceived usefulness, service quality, and customer expectations. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative surveys of 354 high-net-worth clients with qualitative semi-structured interviews of 12 private bankers. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression to measure the relationships between digital banking platforms, CRM systems, staff digital competence, and premier banking service delivery effectiveness. Qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis to provide in-depth of client experiences and managerial perspectives. The findings reveal that digital banking platforms enhance convenience, accessibility, and operational efficiency, enabling clients to perform routine transactions remotely while allowing relationship managers to focus on strategic advisory services. CRM systems significantly improve client personalization, communication, and satisfaction; however, face-to-face engagement remains critical for high-value or complex transactions. Staff digital competence was identified as a crucial determinant of service effectiveness, with training and continuous skill development enhancing the ability of personnel to translate digital tools into meaningful client experiences. These findings align with TAM, emphasizing perceived ease of use and usefulness, and SERVQUAL, highlighting responsiveness, assurance, and empathy in service delivery. The study concluded that effective digital transformation in premier banking requires a strategic integration of technology, personalized service, and skilled personnel. Recommendations include continued investment in user-friendly digital platforms, advanced CRM analytics, and structured staff training programs to maintain competitive advantage and high levels of client satisfaction.

The design of sustainable materials that integrates mechanical toughness with on-demand degradability remains a central challenge in the development of materials science. Here, we present a photoresponsive polyester capable of light-regulated enzymatic degradation through movable cross-links. The material consists of a poly(ε-caprolactone) backbone and inclusion complexes between photoisomerizable trans-stilbene (tSti) units and triacetylated γ-cyclodextrin (TAcγCD) units. Upon UV-A (λ = 350 nm) or UV-C (λ = 254 nm) irradiation, stilbene units undergo reversible trans-cis isomerization, repositioning cyclodextrin (CD) rings along the backbone and thereby switching the molecular coverage of enzyme-active ester groups. In the trans state, polyester segments are exposed, accelerating lipase-catalyzed degradation; in the cis state, ester groups are shielded, suppressing degradation. The switching is reversible under alternating UV-A/UV-C irradiation and absent in the linear control lacking movable rings, demonstrating that controllable CD positioning is essential for degradation control. This study introduces a molecular-coverage-based design rule that reconciles toughness and degradability for sustainable, environmentally benign polymers.

Dye-refilled nanoporous cholesteric liquid crystal polymer (DR-NPCLCP) films, fabricated by washing and refilling with dye-doped liquid crystals (DD-LCs), have emerged as promising templates for next-generation laser applications. Nevertheless, realizing flexible band-edge lasers in these devices remains challenging due to the intrinsic fluidity of liquid crystals. Here, we generated band-edge lasing from a freestanding DR-NPCLCP film, which revealed a circular polarization and a conical emission pattern. The as-prepared DR-NPCLCP film exhibited a 30 nm blue shift in its lasing peak wavelength after 6 days of ambient storage and showed no further shift thereafter. Moreover, the DR-NPCLCP films demonstrated excellent mechanical flexibility, showing an 8 nm red shift with increasing curvature and enabling beam steering by varying the excitation position on the bent films. A spatially tunable lasing peak with a 105 nm wavelength shift was achieved in gradient-pitch distributed DR-NPCLCP films, highlighting their versatility for advanced photonic applications.

Procurement planning plays a critical role in ensuring operational efficiency by aligning organizational needs, budgets, and procurement activities. Despite the existence of formal procurement plans, many organizations continue to experience deviations that negatively affect service delivery and cost control. This study examined the effect of procurement planning on end-user requisitions and operational efficiency within insurance companies in Lusaka, Zambia, using Madison Life Insurance Company as a case study. Guided by stakeholder theory, the resource-based view, and transaction cost economics, the study adopted an explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design. Quantitative data were collected from 90 respondents across procurement, finance, IT, and end-user departments and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS, while qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. The findings reveal that although 85% of respondents confirmed the existence of formal procurement plans, adherence remains inconsistent, with urgent operational needs, budget constraints, and communication gaps driving off-plan requisitions. Procurement planning was found to significantly improve time management, cost savings, and resource allocation while reducing emergency purchases and transaction costs. The study concludes that procurement planning positively influences operational efficiency; however, its effectiveness depends on strengthened implementation, stakeholder coordination, and system integration. The study recommends automation of procurement processes, enhanced end user training, and closer alignment between procurement planning and budgeting to improve compliance and efficiency.

The increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in education has reshaped instructional planning practices, particularly in lesson design and resource development. This descriptive phenomenological study explored the experiences of basic education teachers at Divine Word College of Laoag in integrating ChatGPT into lesson planning. Data were collected through open-ended questionnaires followed by a focused group discussion conducted via video conferencing with ten purposively selected teachers. Using thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s framework, findings reveal that ChatGPT supports lesson planning by enhancing logical content organization, generating aligned instructional examples and activities, improving planning efficiency, and suggesting diverse teaching strategies. However, participants also reported challenges, including the generic nature of AI-generated content, limited contextual relevance to local curricula and learner needs, insufficient AI-related training, and concerns regarding over-dependence and loss of pedagogical autonomy. This study highlights teachers’ experiences using generative AI for lesson planning and emphasizes the need for teacher mediation, clear institutional guidelines, targeted training, and ethical use to ensure AI supports—not replaces—professional judgment. Keywords: ChatGPT, lesson planning, artificial intelligence in education, basic education, teacher experiences, descriptive phenomenology, generative AI

A palladium-catalyzed (3+2) cycloaddition between arylalkynes and norbornene derivatives via C-H bond cleavage is reported. This reaction enables the selective synthesis of benzo-fused five-membered cyclic products from a variety of arylalkynes, including electronically biased and alkyl(aryl)alkynes. Notably, the use of a bulky bidentate ligand leads to the (2+2) cycloaddition, giving four-membered cyclobutene derivatives from the same starting materials. Mechanistic studies indicate that both cycloadditions proceeds through hydropalladation of the arylalkynes by Pd(0) and AcOH to generate a vinyl-Pd intermediate. DFT calculations suggest a ligand-to-ligand hydrogen transfer (LLHT) mechanism for this step. The subsequent turnover-determining step is proposed to vary with the ligand environment, involving either the C-H bond cleavage or reductive elimination, thereby governing pathway selectivity.

This research focused on assessing the effect of capital budgeting techniques on the sustainability of investment projects in local authorities in Zambia. The study was carried out in Shang’ombo district. A qualitative research approach was adopted and used a case study research design. The data used in the study was collected using in-depth interviews from forty-three (43) officials who are experts in budgeting and investment administration. Data was analyzed using themes. According to the study findings it was established that there was inconsistency in the application of investment appraisal techniques and in most cases no application at all, lack of capacity and inadequate expertise in application of investment appraisal techniques and failure to incorporate environmental and social components in the investment appraisal techniques were the challenges faced. In Zambia, local authorities play a significant role in driving regional development through capital investments such as infrastructure and community projects. Local authorities in Zambia engage in investment projects known as commercial ventures in order to increase its financial capacity and financial sustainability. The study therefore recommended the Council to be consistent in the use of capital budgeting techniques in order to eliminate or reduce on investment failure and improve on the sustainability and viability of commercial ventures. The study also recommended the Council to consider capacity building for staff in investment administration and budgeting and incorporate environmental, social and economic aspect when choosing any type of investment appraisal for it to be effective and efficiency. This may address the challenges faced in investment appraisal techniques. Finally, the study recommends that other researchers extend the scope by studying more than one council and increased sample size and improve the contribution to the body of knowledge on the subject matter.

Archaea and Bacteria are two fundamentally distinct domainsoflife that share prokaryotic traits, yet differ markedly in molecularand cellular architecture. While many archaeal species identifiedthus far have been found in extreme environments, recent metagenomicstudies have revealed their widespread presence in moderate habitats,including soils, oceans, and even the human microbiome. However, archaearemain less well characterized than bacteria, largely due to the technicalchallenges associated with culturing and identifying these microorganisms.In this study, we present a culture-independent method for discriminatingarchaea from bacteria at the single-cell level using Raman spectroscopycombined with machine learning. We constructed a Raman spectral dataset comprising 22 prokaryotic species (11 archaea and 11 bacteria)and developed a domain-level Archaea–Bacteria (AB) classifierusing the LightGBM tree-based machine learning algorithm. Our AB classificationmodel achieved an average classification accuracy of 89.1% and a sensitivityof 98.1% on eight representative species (including two independentheld-out test species) with minimal data size and preprocessing. Wealso compared its performance to convolutional neural networks withtransfer learning, a widely used deep learning approach. Our methodprovides a robust analytical framework for archaeal detection andrepresents a valuable addition to the microbiological toolkit, particularlyfor studying unculturable or low-abundance archaeal populations incomplex microbial communities.

A design approach is presented for piled raft foundations, aimed at minimising differential settlements. The approach is based on the results of extensive parametric studies. Key non-dimensional parameters that govern the settlement response of piled rafts are presented and their effects discussed. The results show that piled rafts can be designed with negligible differential settlements using central pile support, and that the key parameters are (a) the ratio of pile group to raft stiffness, (b) the ratio of pile group area to the total raft area, and (c) the ratio of pile group capacity to the total applied load. Une étude des radiers bâtis sur pilotis est présentée, dans le but de minimiser les tassements différentiels. L’approche est fondée sur les résultats d’un plan d’expérience. Les paramètres adimentionnels clefs qui régissent la réponse en tassement d’un radier sont présentés et leurs effets sont discutés. Les résultats montrent que les radiers peuvent être modelisés avec des tassements différentiels négligeables utilisant le support du pieux central, et que les paramètres clefs sont les rapports (a) le groupe de pieux sur la rigidité du radier, (b) la surface du groupe de pieux sur la surface total du radier, et (c) la capacité du groupe de pieux sur la force total appliquée.

Three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (3D COFs) are promising crystalline porous materials, but the elucidation of their structure remains challenging, particularly for those featuring spiroborate linkages. Herein, we report the synthesis of a 3D single-crystalline COF (scCOF) with nbo topology, constructed from a rigid square-planar monomer, tetracyclopentatetraphenylene (TCTP), and spiroborate linkages. Theoretical calculations revealed that the TCTP core possesses higher rigidity than phthalocyanine, effectively suppressing structural fluctuations during framework formation. The structure of the resulting TCTP-COF was successfully determined using microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED), revealing a non-interpenetrated cubic framework with space group Im-3m. TCTP-COF exhibits high crystallinity, thermal stability up to 320 °C, and permanent porosity with a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of 1360 m2·g–1. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first structural determination of a spiroborate-linked 3D scCOF using electron diffraction methods, providing a new design strategy for expanding the chemical space of highly ordered 3D COF architectures.