Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linking “satisfaction” to “intention-to-sell” and “sales performance” of individual agents in the health insurance market: Empirical evidence from India1

Abstract This study attempts to analyze the antecedents of agents’ satisfaction (AS) and its influence on their intention-to-sell (ITS) and sales performance (SP) in the health insurance market in India by way of developing and testing a model by using path analysis. Results suggest that perceived product quality (PPQ), perceived service quality (PSQ), perceived incentive and reward system (PIRS), perceived supervisory behavior (PSB) and perceived organizational support (POS) have a direct positive relation with AS. Further AS has a significant direct influence on the agents’ ITS and SP. A partial mediation effect of ITS is also observed from AS to SP. Managerial implications of the results are also discussed.
Simulation of capacitively coupled single- and dual-frequency RF discharges

For a single-frequency capacitively coupled radio-frequency discharge, the detailed examination has been carried out of plasma density and sheath width, average potential profiles, ion-energy distribution at the electrodes and electron-energy distribution in the bulk plasma as a function of pressure, voltage, and frequency using particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo simulation. The results for Ar gas are presented. Scaling of plasma parameters with external parameters is determined. The characteristics of dual-frequency argon discharge are studied for different ratio of high/low frequencies. Nonmonotonous behavior of plasma density versus low-frequency voltages is attributed to the increase of sheath width and, as a consequence, to the increase of energy absorbed by ions in the sheath region. Subsequent decrease of energy absorbed by electrons results in the decrease of plasma density. For certain frequency ratio with the further increase of power, the plasma density increases again until the collapse of the bulk occurs.
Mechanical Circulatory Support With the Novacor LVAS: World-Wide Clinical Results

The Novacor left-ventricular assist system (LVAS) is an implantable, electrically powered device that is presently approved both in Europe and in the United States for temporary use as a bridge to cardiac transplantation in patients with advanced heart failure. The device has undergone significant evolution since its first implantation in 1984. This device provides a safe, and effective "bridge" to transplantation in select candidates. The world-wide experience as well as the experience at the University of Pittsburgh Health System with this device are discussed in this paper. The exciting results provide ample evidence for the potential use of this device as an "alternative" to transplantation, or "alternative" to medical therapy in the near future.
Social IT outsourcing and development: theorising the linkage

In recent years, a growing number of social enterprises have focused their attention on harnessing the benefits of trade in software by involving underprivileged communities from developing countries in the production of information technology (IT). The goal of this type of activity, known as social IT outsourcing, is not only to provide employment and income to low‐income individuals but also to address wider development priorities within the locality. This paper focuses on strengthening our understanding of social IT outsourcing as a promoter of development. Based on research in Jharkhand, eastern India, we seek to understand how social IT outsourcing activity is interpreted from the perspective of employees who provide data services for the market and from the perspective of the social enterprise that balances its market orientation with its social development goals. Our findings generate new insights into the mechanisms at play through which social IT outsourcing is able to provide a variety of developmental advantages to rural poor communities leading to policy implications for governments and development agencies.
CEO duality and organizational performance: A longitudinal analysis

All public corporations must make a choice regarding board leadership structure. Advocates of more effective corporate governance argue for independent board leadership; yet many firms choose instead to allow the CEO to serve as board chairperson (CEO duality). This study examines the differential financial implications of these choices for 141 corporations over a 6‐year time period. Results indicate significant differences in performance between the two groups along a number of performance measures; more specifically, firms opting for independent leadership consistently outperformed those relying upon CEO duality.
Newly Developed Immobilized Polymyxin B Fibers Improve the Survival of Patients with Sepsis

Background: Sepsis and septic shock are still major causes of morbidity and mortality in spite of the availability of powerful and broadly active antibiotics. Methods: A prospective, open and randomized trial of the effect of immobilized polymyxin fibers (PMX-F) on the survival of patients with sepsis throughout a follow-up period of 28 days or until discharge, if earlier, was carried out. Ninety-eight patients were included who met at least 4 of the criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome due to infection. The patients were classified into three groups based on their Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score. Results: The overall survival rate was significantly improved by using PMX-F compared to the control group (41 vs. 11%) (p = 0.002). In patients with an APACHE II score less than 20, treatment with PMX-F was shown to improve outcome (65 vs. 19%) (p = 0.01). In cases of more severe sepsis with an APACHE II score of 20–29, PMX-F still maintained efficacy in improving outcome (40 vs. 11%) (p = 0.04). However, PMX-F treatment did not improve the survival rate in patients with an APACHE II score of greater than 30 (survival rate 7 vs. 0%) (p = 0.59). Conclusion: From these results, it is concluded that treatment with PMX-F in patients with sepsis is effective and prolongs the survival rate when applied at an early stage of sepsis. However, in severe sepsis, this therapy does not improve the survival rate.
Acquisitions as Lotteries? The Selection of Target-Firm Risk and its Impact on Merger Outcomes

From 1987 to 2008, riskier firms were more likely to be taken over. Yet, on average, the acquirer declined in value by 2.8% when it bought a â€œrisky targetâ€ (the third tercile, having an annualized idiosyncratic volatility of 61% or more), but only by 0.6% when it bought a â€œsafe targetâ€ (the first tercile, 38% or less). The effect was even stronger for risky targets with positively skewed expected returns. The value difference is robust to controlling for acquirer and target characteristics, and carries over to the joint value change. Riskier target acquisitions also had lower post-acquisition accounting returns. An acquiring-firm CEO fixed effect in the data suggests CEO preferences play a role, which we can trace to several proxies for gambling propensity.
Antifungal activities of Trichoderma viride and two fungicides in controlling diseases caused by Sclerotium rolfsii on tomato plants

Fungal phytopathogens are among the biotic factors that cause serious losses to agricultural crops. The present investigation was aimed at determining the antagonistic effects of three isolates of Trichoderma viride as well as two fungicides against Sclerotium rolfsii causal agent of southern blight of tomato. Also, the efficacy of biocontrol of T. viride on the pathogenicity of Sclerotium rolfsii on tomato plant was compared with the influence of chemical control using fungicide (mancozeb) in this study. Sterile soil sample treated under different conditions were packed inside thirty polyethylene pots and two tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seedlings were planted on them. This experimental set up was carried out in a completely randomized design with three replications. Plant height and plant leaves were recorded at interval of ten days for thirty days of growth while fresh weight of plant and root, dry weight of the plant were recorded after thirty days of growth. The antagonistic activities of the three isolates of T. viride were more pronounced at 37oC and pH 4. Trichoderma viride obtained from ginger soil proved very effective in controlling the growth of S. rolfsii but combination of T. viride and mancozeb could be detrimental to tomato plant
Cytokine‐induced stable neuronal differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in a serum/feeder cell‐free condition

The characteristics and multilineage differentiation potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM MSC) remain controversial. This study aimed to characterize human BM MSC isolated by plastic adherent or antibody selection and their neuronal differentiation potential using growth factors or chemical inducing agents. MSC were found to express low levels of neuronal markers: neurofilament‐M, β tubulin III, and neuron specific enolase. Under a serum‐ and feeder cell‐free condition, basic fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor, and platelet‐derived growth factor induced neuronal morphology in MSC. In addition to the above markers, these cells expressed neurotransmitters or associated proteins: γ‐aminobutyric acid, tyrosine hydroxylase and serotonin. These changes were maintained for up to 3 months in all bone marrow specimens (N = 6). In contrast, butylated hydroxyanisole and dimethylsulfoxide were unable to induce sustained neuronal differentiation. Our results show that MSC isolated by two different procedures produced identical lineage differentiation with defined growth factors in a serum‐ and feeder cell‐free condition.
Optimization of perfluorochemical levels with radiation therapy in mice.

We have examined the effects of a wide range of levels of Therox, a perfluorochemical emulsion containing bis-perfluorobutyl ethylene (F44E) with carbogen breathing on the tumor growth delay of the Lewis lung carcinoma produced by single dose radiation and fractionated radiation. The enhancement in tumor growth delay with single dose radiation therapy increased as the dose of F44E was increased from 1.2 g/kg (0.03 ml) to 4 g/kg (0.1 ml). As the dose was increased further from 6 g/kg (0.15 ml) to 8 g/kg (0.2 ml) and then to 12 g/kg (0.3 ml), there was a progressive decrease in the tumor growth delay observed. The dose of 4 g/kg was the optimal F44E level with single dose radiation therapy, giving a dose modifying factor of 2.4 +/- 0.2. This was true whether administered as a 48% (v/v) emulsion in 0.1 ml or as a 16% (v/v) emulsion in 0.3 ml. When the injection volume was varied from 0.1 ml to 0.4 ml at the 4 g/kg or 6 g/kg dose, thereby varying the emulsion concentration from 48% (v/v) to 12% (v/v) or 18% (v/v), the results tended to indicate that the volume of injection may be more important than the emulsion concentration, i.e., an injection volume of 0.2 ml produced the greatest tumor growth delay for both doses, and the emulsion concentration of 0.2 ml and 4 g/kg of F44E is 24% (v/v) whereas the emulsion concentration of 0.2 ml and 6 g/kg of F44E is 36% (v/v). Administering any dose of the emulsion with carbogen for 1 h prior to and during the radiation fraction on Day 1 only of a daily fractionated radiation protocol (3 Gy/fraction x 5 days) had very little effect on tumor growth delay compared to radiation and daily carbogen breathing. When F44E was administered on treatment Days 1, 3, and 5 with carbogen breathing, there was an increased effect on tumor growth delay which reached a maximum at 4 g/kg (0.1 ml) of 10.0 +/- 1.2 days compared with 6.7 +/- 1.0 days for radiation with daily carbogen breathing. However, when the F44E emulsion was administered every day with fractionated radiation and carbogen breathing, there was a marked enhancement in tumor growth delay observed across the entire dosage range, from 1.2 g/kg to 12 g/kg. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Heat Stress Modulates Cytokine Gene Expression in the Spleen of Broiler Chickens

Heat stress has negative effects on biological defense mechanisms such as the immune response in chickens, and organs of the immune system, such as the spleen, are atrophied by heat stress in broiler chickens. In order to assess heat stress-induced functional changes of immune mechanisms in the spleen of broiler chickens, expression of genes encoding splenic cytokines (Th1 type, Th2 type, and pro-inflammatory cytokines) was analyzed. Heat exposure at 34°C for 15 days significantly induced the spleen involution, increased interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-12 expression and decreased interferon (IFN)-γ. However, expression of IL-6, 10, 13, and 18 was not affected. Heat stress reduced feed intake, which may affect the spleen weight and cytokine expression. Therefore, a pair-fed group at 24°C (24PF) was included in which chickens received the same amount of feed as those in the group at 34°C. Spleen weight was not affected by the reduction in feed intake. IL-4 expression in the 24PF group was higher than that in the control group. Further, IFN-γ expression increased and IL-12 expression was not affected by the reduction of feed intake, suggesting that the feed intake reduction induced by heat stress does not modulate splenic cytokine expression in broiler chickens. These data suggest that heat stress induces spleen involution and affects the expression of splenic cytokines such as IL-12 and IFN-γ in broiler chickens, but not through the feed intake reduction.
Marketing Services: Competing Through Quality

Excellent service is the foundation for services marketing, contend Leonard Berry and A. Parasuraman in this companion volume to "Delivering Quality Service. " Building on eight years of research, the authors develop a model for understanding the relationship between quality and marketing in services and offer dozens of practical insights into ways to improve services marketing. They argue that superior service cannot be manufactured in a factory, packaged, and delivered intact to customers. Though an innovative service concept may give a company an initial edge, superior quality is vital to sustaining success. Berry and Parasuraman show that inspired leadership, a customer-minded corporate culture, an excellent service-system design, and effective use of technology and information are crucial to superior service quality and services marketing. When a company's service is excellent, customers are more likely to perceive value in transactions, spread favorable word-of-mouth impressions, and respond positively to employee-cross-selling efforts. The authors point out that a service company that does relatively little pre-sales marketing but is truly dedicated to delivering excellent quality service will have greater marketing effectiveness, higher customer retention, and more sales to existing customers than a company that emphasizes pre-sale marketing but falls short during actual service delivery. The focus of any company, they insist, must be customer satisfaction through integration of service quality throughout the entire system. Filled with examples, stories, and insights from senior executives, Berry and Parasuraman's new framework for effective marketing servicescontains the key to high-performance services marketing.
Correlation between Salivary Enzymes Levels CK and LDH with Severity of Chronic Periodontitis among Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a systemic condition that has been long associated with an increased risk and severity of periodontal disease(PD). Host responses to PD include the production of many intracellular enzymes, that are released outside cells after destruction of periodontal tissue . Aims of the study: To determine theperiodontal health condition and the salivary levels of creatin kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzymes among chronic periodontitis (CP) patients with or without controlled or uncontrolled type2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the correlations of these enzymes with the severity of CP. Materials and Methods: The salivary levels of (CK & LDH) enzymes and clinical periodontal parameters (plaque index PLI, gingival index GI, bleeding on probing BOP, probing pocket depth PPD and clinical attachment level CAL) were measured from 75 males divided into four groups,the study groups are(GroupI:(20) CP patients with controlled T2DM, GroupII:(20) CP patients with uncontrolled T2DM, GroupIII:(20)CP patients without DM)andGroupIV:(15)systemically healthy subjects with healthy periodontium as control group. Results: Uncontrolled T2DM with CP patients showed the highest mean values of (CK & LDH) enzymes, PLI, GI and percentages of( B0P sites, CAL (≥6mm) and PPD(≥6-8mm)&(≥9mm)). Inter groups comparisons revealed significant differences for CK & LDH enzymes levels as well as all clinical periodontal parameters except between groups I with III regarding PPD, CAL and BOP sites which demonstrated non-significant differences.Strong positive correlations were demonstrated between (CK & LDH) enzymes levels with clinical periodontal parameters in all study groups, except the correlations between BOP sites with both CK & LDH enzymes at groups II and III respectively and LDH enzyme with PPD(≥4-5mm) at group I, which werenon significant positive. Conclusion: The present study generally demonstrated strong positive correlations between salivary enzymes (CK & LDH) levels with the severity of CP patients with T2DM and measuring these biomarkers can use to evaluate the effect of T2 DM and glycemic control on periodontal health status.
The Antecedents of Trust in Business-to-Business Financial Services

Purpose: To explore how satisfaction, communication, customization, competence, and shared values (as antecedents) influence trust in B2B financial services relationships, and to assist decision makers in this industry to manage long-term relationships with their clients. Methodology/approach: Based on a literature review, five hypotheses were developed. The hypotheses were addressed by empirically evaluating a theoretical model based on data from both relationship managers and the clients of a leading South African B2B financial services provider. Regression analysis was used to assess the relationships in the relationship-manager sample, while structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the relationships in the client sample. Findings: In the relationship-manager sample, satisfaction, competence, and shared values were found to be significant predictors of trust. However, in the client sample, all five of the hypothesized antecedents were found to contribute significantly to trust. Originality/value/contribution: The major contribution of this study, for both marketing academics and practitioners, lies in the simultaneous consideration of the perceptions of both financial services providers as well as their clients. As far as it could be ascertained, this combination of both exchange partners (service providers and clients) in a single study has not been reported in a financial services context.
SOCIAL CAPITAL, KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION, AND KNOWLEDGE EXPLOITATION IN YOUNG TECHNOLOGY-BASED FIRMS

Employing a sample of 180 entrepreneurial high-technology ventures based in the United Kingdom, we examine the effects of social capital in key customer relationships on knowledge acquisition and knowledge exploitation. Building on the relational view and on social capital and knowledge-based theories, we propose that social capital facilitates external knowledge acquisition in key customer relationships and that such knowledge mediates the relationship between social capital and knowledge exploitation for competitive advantage. Our results indicate that the social interaction and network ties dimensions of social capital are indeed associated with greater knowledge acquisition, but that the relationship quality dimension is negatively associated with knowledge acquisition. Knowledge acquisition is, in turn, positively associated with knowledge exploitation for competitive advantage through new product development, technological distinctiveness, and sales cost efficiency. Further, our results provide evidence that knowledge acquisition plays a mediating role between social capital and knowledge exploitation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Survival of Halibut Released After Capture By Trawls

Eoreignl and: domestic trawlers catch substantial quantItIes of halibut incidtntally when fishing for other species. Regulations require the release of trawloaugl;It'halibut, buuhesurvivaLof.the released halibut is unknown. The condition ofhalibut caught by,]apanese trawlers indicates that survival is low. The survival of halibut released. by domestic trawlers was estimated from the recovery rate of tags and.fi'om:expected.ratesof'natural mortality and other losses. Survival was positively correIated: with' It:ngth' of fish and negatively correlated with time on deok. and weight oftotal catch: The average survival from domestic trawlers was about 5'0%', Management:implications of these findings are discussed. Survival of Halibut Released After Capture By Trawls
New mutations Heterozygous orthodenticle homeobox 2 mutations are associated with variable pituitary phenotype

Significant advances have been made in the field of pituitary development, pituitary tumor biology and pituitary signaling, as well as the interaction between signaling, development and tumor formation. Numerous new mutations and their functional implications for pituitary function have been identified. In addition, continuing progress is being made to uncover the functions of oxytocin, especially its role in behavior and an exciting development is the pharmacological use of oxytocin to affect behavior [1].
The extent to which compensation for the prismatic effects of spectacle lenses is maintained.

PURPOSE The ability of subjects to compensate for the visual displacement caused by the prismatic effects of spectacle lenses was studied over 4 days. METHODS Subjects were made myopic using contact lenses and then corrected with spectacles. Pointing behavior was used to assess directional localization. Compensation for the refractive lenses was induced by showing subjects their pointing errors. RESULTS Compensation was maintained for 4 days in 3 of 4 subjects despite 24 h of normal viewing between testing sessions. One subject demonstrated a negative directional aftereffect which has not been previously reported in studies of spectacle lens adaptation. CONCLUSIONS Compensation for the prismatic effects of spectacle lenses can be maintained for several days in some subjects. This compensation may be functionally useful for some patients who switch between spectacles and contact lenses.
Does Power Imbalance Matter in Corporate-Nonprofit Partnerships?:

Partnerships between corporate and nonprofit organisations have become widespread over the past two decades. Despite their popularity, concerns have been raised that power imbalances breed opportunities for manipulation and exploitation, potentially threatening the integrity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) altogether. This paper explores how power influences outcomes in corporate-nonprofit partnerships. Drawing upon theories of CSR, organisational justice and power and dependency, preliminary findings from case study research are presented. These found participants most satisfied with outcomes of the partnership where there was substantial imbalance of power. Further, as power became more balanced, conflict increased. The study adds to literature examining the practice of CSR, and contributes to developing theories to explain the relationship between power and perceptions of justice.