Impact of Strategic Relationship Marketing on the Performance of Banks in Nigeria

The increasing patronage of non-bank institutions by customers exerts marketing pressure on the Nigerian commercial banks. Existing studies have not adequately addressed the gap created by this paradigm shift, hence the call for business philosophy that focuses on strategic relationship marketing (SRM) approach with the customers. Therefore, this study examines the influence of the SRM dimensions on customer retention of banks in Nigeria. The sample comprised 1500 commercial bank customers and marketing officers from 300 bank branches in Nigeria. Structured questionnaires were administered for data collection. Hierarchical regression model was fitted to the data collected. The findings revealed that strategic relationship marketing dimensions could lead to increased customer retention with adequate implementation of relationship acquisition strategy, and retention strategy. Further, inclusion of banking industry alignment strategy would make the banks to benefit maximally through customer linkage and also cause an optimal compensation or remedial system. The findings stressed the need for relationship acquisition, relationship maintenance and retention strategy as the strategic marketing tool to enhance customer retention of the banks. Keywords: strategic relationship, marketing, customer retention, banking industry alignment, banks DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/74-03 Publication date: December 31st 2020

Crack Mechanism of Different Concrete Grades under Compressive Loading: Application in Rigid Pavement

The growth of cracks in concretes under different loadings in various structures and their consequent diminishing effect on the lifespan of structures is an age long structural problem. This research investigates the influence of compressive loading on the crack mechanism of different concrete grades 1: 1 : 3 (M20), 1: 2: 4 (M15) and 1: 3: 6 (M10) using three brands of cements available in Nigeria namely Dangote (Type A), Elephant (Type B) and Bua (Type C). Particle Size Distribution (PSD), Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV), Aggregate Impact Value (AIV) was carried out on aggregates in accordance with relevant codes while; compressive test were performed on the hardened concrete while, the crack width was measured using microscopic technique. A coefficient of uniformity (Cu) of 4.00, AIV of 46 % and an ACV of 47.7 % were obtained for the aggregate which are suitable for rigid pavements construction. Maximum compressive strength value of 24.96 N/mm2 , 24.67 N/mm2 and 24.89 N/mm2 respectively was obtained for concrete M20 for Type A, Type B and Type C cement at the 28 day. A corresponding crack width of 0.97 mm, 0.89 mm and 0.93 mm was obtained while; a yield period of 57.66 sec, 58.33 sec and 53.33 was obtained respectively. Comparing with the International Organization for Standardization, concrete grade M20 any of the cement types is suitable for the construction of rigid pavements with heavy traffic volume while M15 is recommended for low traffic volume

SBRML: A markup language for associating systems biology data with models

MOTIVATION: Research in systems biology is carried out through a combination of experiments and models. Several data standards have been adopted for representing models (Systems Biology Markup Language) and various types of relevant experimental data (such as FuGE and those of the Proteomics Standards Initiative). However, until now, there has been no standard way to associate a model and its entities to the corresponding datasets, or vice versa. Such a standard would provide a means to represent computational simulation results as well as to frame experimental data in the context of a particular model. Target applications include model-driven data analysis, parameter estimation, and sharing and archiving model simulations. RESULTS: We propose the Systems Biology Results Markup Language (SBRML), an XML-based language that associates a model with several datasets. Each dataset is represented as a series of values associated with model variables, and their corresponding parameter values. SBRML provides a flexible way of indexing the results to model parameter values, which supports both spreadsheet-like data and multidimensional data cubes. We present and discuss several examples of SBRML usage in applications such as enzyme kinetics, microarray gene expression and various types of simulation results

Crack Mechanism of Different Concrete Grades under Compressive Loading: Application in Rigid Pavement

The growth of cracks in concretes under different loadings in various structures and their consequent diminishing effect on the lifespan of structures is an age long structural problem. This research investigates the influence of compressive loading on the crack mechanism of different concrete grades 1: 1  : 3 (M20), 1: 2: 4 (M15) and 1: 3: 6 (M10) using three brands of cements available in Nigeria namely Dangote (Type A), Elephant (Type B) and Bua (Type C). Particle Size Distribution (PSD), Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV), Aggregate Impact Value (AIV) was carried out on aggregates in accordance with relevant codes while; compressive test were performed on the hardened concrete while, the crack width was measured using microscopic technique. A Coefficient of uniformity (Cu) of 4.00, AIV of 46 % and an ACV of 47.7 % were obtained for the aggregate which are suitable for rigid pavements construction. Maximum compressive strength value of 24.96 N/mm2, 24.67 N/mm2 and 24.89 N/mm2 respectively was obtained for concrete M20 for Type A, Type B and Type C cement at the 28 day.  A corresponding crack width of 0.97 mm, 0.89 mm and 0.93 mm was obtained while; a yield period of 57.66 sec, 58.33 sec and 53.33 was obtained respectively. Comparing with the International Organization for Standardization, concrete grade M20 any of the cement types is suitable for the construction of rigid pavements with heavy traffic volume while M15 is recommended for low traffic volume

Engineering Students’ Virtual Learning Challenges during COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown: A Case Study

As a result of the pandemic lockdown, most Faculty, Staff, and students in Nigerian universities were unable to learn online because of irregular power and internet unavailability. As a major concern to the Nigerian Deans of Engineering, a study was commissioned by the Deans to identify the extent of the problem with a view to identifying the research and development areas and proffer an indigenous solution to the problems identified. This paper discusses the results of an online survey administered during the lockdown to a stratified sample size from the over 80,000 engineering students’ population in Nigeria. The initial results showed that there is need to develop some form of a cost�effective but modular and mobile integrated boosted internet�ready power system suitable for teaching, learning and research which is always-on both day and night for learning

Preparation and Characterization of Biochar and Activated carbon derived from Cashew Bagasse Waste

Biochar and Activated carbon derived from cashew bagasse waste (CBB and CBAC), are veritable materials produced from agro-waste. They are currently under-utilized owing to paucity of information in their recycling methods which reduces agricultural waste from the environment. This study investigates the use of under-utilized cashew bagasse waste in the production of biochar and activated carbon using pyrolysis and chemical activation methods, respectively. Cashew bagasse waste was pyrolysed at 4000C for 20mins at 100C/min. The biochar was chemically activated using 0.3M orthophosphoric acid (H3PO4) at an impregnation ratio of 1:2.36(w/w). It was heated at 1000C to form a paste and placed in a muffle furnace at 5000C for 30 mins. This was cooled and washed until pH was neutral. It was oven dried at 1050C for 24 hours to a constant weight to produce CBAC Characterization of CBB and CBAC for its pH, bulk density, and moisture content, dry matter, volatile matter, and fixed carbon were determined. FTIR and SEM analysis on CBB and CBAC was done to determine the functional groups and surface morphology, respectively. The Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA at P value < 0.05. This study, therefore, revealed CBAC to have better characteristics than CB

Prognostic model to predict postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery based on a national prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Acute illness, existing co-morbidities and surgical stress response can all contribute to postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was prospectively to develop a pragmatic prognostic model to stratify patients according to risk of developing AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This prospective multicentre cohort study included consecutive adults undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection, liver resection or stoma reversal in 2-week blocks over a continuous 3-month period. The primary outcome was the rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery. Bootstrap stability was used to select clinically plausible risk factors into the model. Internal model validation was carried out by bootstrap validation. Results: A total of 4544 patients were included across 173 centres in the UK and Ireland. The overall rate of AKI was 14·2 per cent (646 of 4544) and the 30-day mortality rate was 1·8 per cent (84 of 4544). Stage 1 AKI was significantly associated with 30-day mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 7·61, 95 per cent c.i. 4·49 to 12·90; P < 0·001), with increasing odds of death with each AKI stage. Six variables were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model: age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Internal validation demonstrated good model discrimination (c-statistic 0·65). Discussion: Following major gastrointestinal surgery, AKI occurred in one in seven patients. This preoperative prognostic model identified patients at high risk of postoperative AKI. Validation in an independent data set is required to ensure generalizability

Molecular mechanisms of cell death: recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death 2018.

Over the past decade, the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD) has formulated guidelines for the definition and interpretation of cell death from morphological, biochemical, and functional perspectives. Since the field continues to expand and novel mechanisms that orchestrate multiple cell death pathways are unveiled, we propose an updated classification of cell death subroutines focusing on mechanistic and essential (as opposed to correlative and dispensable) aspects of the process. As we provide molecularly oriented definitions of terms including intrinsic apoptosis, extrinsic apoptosis, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-driven necrosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, parthanatos, entotic cell death, NETotic cell death, lysosome-dependent cell death, autophagy-dependent cell death, immunogenic cell death, cellular senescence, and mitotic catastrophe, we discuss the utility of neologisms that refer to highly specialized instances of these processes. The mission of the NCCD is to provide a widely accepted nomenclature on cell death in support of the continued development of the field