Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)'s Impact on B to B Sales Professionals' Collaboration and Sales Performance

Purpose: Sales literature has traditionally considered technology adoption from acceptance and diffusion perspectives. This article examines the impact of customer relationship management (CRM) technology on business-to-business (B2B) sales professionals' ability to collaborate with internal stakeholders and also assesses the relationship between CRM utilization and sales performance. The study moves from assuming that CRM utilization positively impacts salesperson effectiveness and performance to assessing this outcome from the perspective of the salesperson. Methodology: A survey that was comprised of four scales was sent to 115 B2B sales professionals and usable surveys were received from 70 respondents. The data were analyzed using partial least squares regression to test the hypothesized paths. Partial least squares regression has been shown to work for small sample sizes. Findings: There is empirical evidence that CRM adoption and utilization positively impacts sales performance, sales effectiveness, and collaboration. As a partial mediator, collaboration positively influenced CRM utilization's effect on sales performance. However, collaboration did not positively influence sales process effectiveness. Explanations of the findings are offered. Managerial Implications: Sales managers can use CRM technology to make their sales team more effective and efficient. Second, increased collaboration across the firm positively mediates sales performance. Lastly, to increase collaboration, sales managers should stress that CRM leads to higher performance for both the sales team and the entire firm.
Vehicle to grid system in frequency regulation for securing electricity network stability

The vehicle to grid (V2G) system can provide frequency regulation for grid and stable electricity network. Several pilot projects are ongoing in the United States. The stable electricity network is important for national security. Fluctuating frequency can be balanced by stabilising generation and load to equal. Power stations transfer electricity through substations to military bases. In network failure situation, military bases can form islanded microgrid. General purpose vehicles can provide V2G services to the microgrid. While electricity price is varying during the time, V2G can provide profit by charging during lower price and discharging during higher price. The paper closes with suggestions for future demonstrations and pilot programs that will assist in further defining the technical requirements.
Epithelial, stromal, and total corneal thickness in keratoconus: three-dimensional display with artemis very-high frequency digital ultrasound.

PURPOSE To characterize the epithelial, stromal, and total corneal thickness profile in a population of eyes with keratoconus. METHODS Epithelial, stromal, and total corneal thickness profiles were measured in vivo by Artemis very high-frequency (VHF) digital ultrasound scanning (ArcScan) across the central 6- to 10-mm diameter of the cornea on 54 keratoconic eyes. Maps of the average, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, and range of epithelial, stromal, and total corneal thickness were plotted. The average location of the thinnest epithelium, stroma, and total cornea were found. The cross-sectional semi-meridional stromal and total corneal thickness profiles were calculated using annular averaging. The absolute stromal and total corneal thickness progressions relative to the thinnest point were calculated using annular averaging as well as for 8 semi-meridians individually. RESULTS The mean corneal vertex epithelial, stromal, and total corneal thicknesses were 45.7+/-5.9 microm, 426.4+/-38.5 microm, and 472.2+/-41.4 microm, respectively. The average epithelial thickness profile showed an epithelial doughnut pattern characterized by localized central thinning surrounded by an annulus of thick epithelium. The thinnest epithelium, stroma, and total cornea were displaced on average by 0.48+/-0.66 mm temporally and 0.32+/-0.67 mm inferiorly, 0.31+/-0.45 mm temporally and 0.54+/-0.37 mm inferiorly, and 0.31+/-0.43 mm temporally and 0.50+/-0.35 mm inferiorly, respectively, with reference to the corneal vertex. The increase in semi-meridional absolute stromal and total corneal thickness progressions was greatest inferiorly and lowest temporally. CONCLUSIONS Three-dimensional thickness mapping of the epithelial, stromal, and total corneal thickness profiles characterized thickness changes associated with keratoconus and may help in early diagnosis of keratoconus.
Effects of neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) for cerebral palsy: an AACPDM evidence report.

The objective of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) evidence reports is to provide the biomedical research and clinical practice communities with the current state of evidence about various interventions for the management of developmental disabilities. AACPDM evidence reports aggregate all that has been published about outcomes of an intervention for a medical condition, gauge the credibility (i.e. strength of the internal validity) of that evidence, and identify gaps in our scientific knowledge. The original version of this report was published in the ‘AACPDM Database of Evidence Reports’ on the internet (www.aacpdm.org) where evidence reports are regularly updated to include new research.
Impact of pretransplantation minimal residual disease, as detected by multiparametric flow cytometry, on outcome of myeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia.

PURPOSE Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) benefits many patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first remission. Hitherto, little attention has been given to the prognostic impact of pretransplantation minimal residual disease (MRD). PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively studied 99 consecutive patients receiving myeloablative HCT for AML in first morphologic remission. Ten-color multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC) was performed on bone marrow aspirates before HCT. MRD was identified as a cell population showing deviation from normal antigen expression patterns compared with normal or regenerating marrow. Any level of residual disease was considered MRD positive. RESULTS Before HCT, 88 patients met morphologic criteria for complete remission (CR), whereas 11 had CR with incomplete blood count recovery (CRi). Twenty-four had MRD before HCT as determined by MFC. Two-year estimates of overall survival were 30.2% (range, 13.1% to 49.3%) and 76.6% (range, 64.4% to 85.1%) for MRD-positive and MRD-negative patients; 2-year estimates of relapse were 64.9% (range, 42.0% to 80.6%) and 17.6% (range, 9.5% to 27.9%). After adjustment for all or a subset of cytogenetic risk, secondary disease, incomplete blood count recovery, and abnormal karyotype pre-HCT, MRD-positive HCT was associated with increased overall mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 4.05; 95% CI, 1.90 to 8.62; P < .001) and relapse (HR, 8.49; 95% CI, 3.67 to 19.65; P < .001) relative to MRD-negative HCT. CONCLUSION These data suggest that pre-HCT MRD is associated with increased risk of relapse and death after myeloablative HCT for AML in first morphologic CR, even after controlling for other risk factors.
Avoiding secondary cache conflict misses in a real-time system

The performance of real-time systems (RTS) with large-scale direct-mapped secondary caches is largely dependent on the state of physical memory page allocation when the cache hit rate is not high. To overcome that problem, the author proposes two optimization methods for minimizing secondary cache conflict misses, assuming an RTS for which page allocation is not performed during a service, and evaluates these methods by simulations based on actual RTS trace data. The evaluations show a performance improvement of from 30% to 100% for secondary cache capacities ranging from 128 KB to 1 MB in a system that employs the MIPS R4000 processor. ©1998 Scripta Technica, Syst Comp Jpn, 29(4): 4359, 1998
Sciatica caused by disc herniation: Why is Chymopapain Chemonucleolysis denied to our patients?

Background This study was undertaken to assess the long term outcome on the quality of life of patients with sciatica following treatment with chemonucleolysis, and to assess the complications. Methods This is a retrospective review carried out in a consecutive group of patients suffering from sciatica treated by chemonucleolysis. Patients were followed up by questionnaires to obtain Macnab score; satisfaction, SF 36, and case note review for complications and repeat spinal surgery. Results Six hundred and five patients (56% males, 44% females) treated over a ten year period from 1991 to 2000 were followed up. Average age was 47 years (range 17 - 88 years). The duration of symptoms prior to treatment averaged 10 months (range 1 - 20 months) and the herniation was confirmed by Myelogram (7%), CT Scan (34%), or MRI (59%). There were 578 single level and 27 double levels treated. Eighty five percent of herniations were typical single level, and 15% were atypical that is: patients with dominant back pain with sciatica, recurrent herniations following surgery at the same level, recurrent herniations at another level following chemonucleolysis, double levels treated patients with mainly neurological deficits and one cauda equina syndrome. Average follow up was 62 months (range 12 - 123) with a 78% satisfaction rate, with a 14% surgical intervention rate made up of 9% decompression, 1% repeat chemonucleolysis at another level and 4% fusion rate. SF-36 scores generally correlated with age and sex on scores for the normal local population. Conclusions This is a retrospective study and showed that chemonucleolysis was effective with a high satisfaction rate. It restores quality of life close to that expected in the population, and is safe with no complications related to the procedure. It is a cost effective daycase procedure with a lasting result.
Defusing the Hazards of Social Network Services

Over the past few years, hundreds of millions of users have employed social network services (SNS) to exchange information. In spite of the pros of using SNS, there are certain vulnerabilities that are most likely to be exploited by perpetrators to reach their destructive goals. Due to an immense amount of personal data shared on and transmitted over SNSs and weak protection mechanisms, the uploaded information are vastly vulnerable to privacy intrusion threats. Furthermore, nearly all SNSs provide a variety of communication channels which opens more ways to malwares to infect users' machines. This paper encompasses threats, vulnerabilities, and risks that endanger privacy of SNS users. It also investigates techniques used by cybercriminals for propagating malicious software (malware) and launching attacks against victims' machines through these services. The paper eventually presents a set of recommendations to eliminate or mitigate the privacy and malware risks
[Expression of ghrelin and its receptor GHS-R in the hypothalamus and gastrointestinal tract in rats with chronic renal failure].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the expression of ghrelin and its receptor, growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), in the hypothalamus and gastrointestinal tract in rats with chronic renal failure (CRF) and explore their relationship with the disorder of gastrointestinal tract motility. METHODS SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group (n=8) and CRF group (n=16), and in the latter group, the rats were subjected to 5/6 nephrectomy to induce CRF. Real-time PCR and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect the distribution of mRNA and protein of ghrelin and GHS-R in the gastric fundus, duodenum, and hypothalamus. RESULTS The rats in the CRF group showed a significantly higher expression of ghrelin mRNA and protein in the gastric fundus but a lower expression in the hypothalamus than those in the sham-operated group (P<0.01), but the expression in the duodenum was similar between the two groups (P>0.05). The expression of GHS-R mRNA and protein in the gastric fundus was significantly higher in the CRF group than in the sham-operated group (P<0.01), while in the hypothalamus and duodenum, the expression was significantly lower in the CRF group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION The different distribution patterns of ghrelin and GHS-R in the tissues may be an important pathological basis of gastrointestinal motility disorder in CRF.
Trafficking through the Rev/RRE Pathway Is Essential for Efficient Inhibition of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 by an Antisense RNA Derived from the Envelope Gene

ABSTRACT A human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-based vector expressing an antisense RNA directed against HIV-1 is currently in clinical trials. This vector has shown a remarkable ability to inhibit HIV-1 replication, in spite of the fact that therapeutic use of unmodified antisense RNAs has generally been disappointing. To further analyze the basis for this, we examined the effects of different plasmid-based HIV-1 long-terminal-repeat-driven constructs expressing antisense RNA to the same target region in HIV-1 but containing different export elements. Two of these vectors were designed to express antisense RNA containing either a Rev response element (RRE) or a Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (MPMV) constitutive transport element (CTE). In the third vector, no specific transport element was provided. Efficient inhibition of HIV-1 virus production was obtained with the RRE-driven antisense RNA. This construct also efficiently inhibited p24 production from a pNL4-3 provirus that used the MPMV CTE for RNA export. In contrast, little inhibition was observed with the constructs lacking an RRE. Furthermore, when the RRE-driven antisense RNA was redirected to the Tap/Nxf1 pathway, utilized by the MPMV CTE, through the expression of a RevM10-Tap fusion protein, the efficiency of antisense inhibition was greatly reduced. These results indicate that efficient inhibition requires trafficking of the antisense RNA through the Rev/RRE pathway. Mechanistic studies indicated that the Rev/RRE-mediated inhibition did not involve either nuclear retention or degradation of target mRNA, since target RNA was found to export and associate normally with polyribosomes. However, protein levels were significantly reduced. Taken together, our results suggest a new mechanism for antisense inhibition of HIV mediated by Rev/RRE.
Corporate Real Estate Asset Management: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that influence CRE asset management and develop a conceptual framework of CRE asset management based on a detailed review of the existing literature. The conceptual model consists of six elements or factors, namely: operations, organisation, financing, acquisition and leasing, outsourcing, and disposal. The paper concludes that further research in corporate real estate asset management is desirable and argues that the theoretical model developed in this paper will provide a useful tool for estate management industry practitioners in developing a more comprehensive overall CRE asset management strategy.
Experience of Tactile Vision

The accompanying paper was written following a three-week training course with the Tactile Vision Substitution System (TVSS) under development at the Department of Visual Sciences, University of the Pacific, San Francisco. The instrumentation has been described elsewhere by Collins and Madey (1974) and perceptual studies and underlying theory by Bach-y-Rita et al. (1969), White et al. (1970), and Bach-y-Rita (1972). The present paper is a personal account that provides insight into a perceptual aspect of sensory substitution studies.
Increased morphine analgesia and reduced side effects in mice lacking the tac1 gene

Background and purpose: Although morphine is a very effective analgesic, its narrow therapeutic index and severe side effects limit its therapeutic use. Previous studies indicated that the pharmacological responses of opioids are modulated by genetic and pharmacological invalidation of tachykinin receptors. Here we address the role of substance P and neurokinin A, which are both encoded by the tachykinin 1 (tac1) gene, as modulators of opioid effects.
Privileged Directions for Subjective Contours: Horizontal and Vertical versus Tilted

Subjective contours and brightness enhancement in Ehrenstein-like situations are affected by pattern orientation. If a classic Ehrenstein pattern (with four inducing elements for every gap at intersection points) is observed, a number of anomalous illusory patches usually appear in these gaps, but if the same pattern is observed tilted by 45° the patches disappear and it is possible to see an illusory grid of horizontal and vertical ‘streets’. These two perceptual results are mutually exclusive. In a Koffka-cross variant of this pattern, the illusory patches, which are usually square, appear more rounded in the tilted pattern. All these results were confirmed in two experiments by means of a magnitude estimation procedure. It is suggested that the formation of a subjective contour is easier along horizontal and vertical directions and more difficult in an oblique direction, and that this phenomenon, as well as other visual acuity oblique effects, depends in part on the basic functioning of the visual system at the level of sensation.
Business models and their impact on bank performance: A long-term perspective

This paper examines the effects of bank business models on performance and risk for a sample of more than 500 banks from 30 European countries over the period from 1998 to 2013. Since we analyze strategic or business model choices, our methodology is designed to identify the long-run effects and separates these from short-run time effects. Our findings confirm that business model characteristics are important deter- minants of performance, but that no specific bank type outperforms in all dimensions. We find that deposit funding, high asset quality, income diversification and capital adequacy positively affect performance, while size and the asset composition have a more ambiguous impact. We also report substantial variation of business model effects over different bank types. Our results lend support to the new capital and funding rules proposed in the Basel III framework, but we also argue that business model con- siderations should be more fundamentally integrated in the post-crisis regulatory and supervisory practice.
Presentation and subsequent publication rates of phase I oncology clinical trials

Many trials submitted to scientific meetings are not reported in peer‐reviewed journals. Results may vary substantially and the lack of final publication constitutes a form of reporting bias. The authors sought to determine the presentation and publication rates of Phase I trials submitted to a major oncology meeting and the factors impeding their subsequent publication.
Statutory Auditors’ Independence in the Protection of Stakeholders’ Interest: A Perceptual Study

An audited financial statement is considered to be authentic and reliable by the stakeholders. Therefore, statutory auditors play an important role in protecting stakeholders’ interest in a company. Thus, statutory auditors should be independent from their audit client. However, in recent corporate accounting scandals, a company’s demise resulted in disastrous consequences for its stakeholders and audit failure was diagnosed to be one of the reasons behind those scandals. In this backdrop, based on existing literature, this paper attempts to identify a few issues that positively or negatively affect statutory auditors’ independence in their professional engagement. Opinion of statutory auditors and select groups of respondents from other related occupations on these variables have been collected and duly analyzed. Homogeneity in the opinion of select respondent groups has also been tested using Chi-Square Test of Homogeneity. Finally, the important findings of the study are summarized and a suitable conclusion on statutory auditors’ independence is drawn.
Implementing a Successful Quality Improvement Programme in a Service Company: Winning the Deming Prize

On 18 October 1989, Miami‐based Florida Power and Light Company (FPL), Florida′s largest utility, became the first company outside Japan to win the Deming Prize. Awarded annually the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (and since 1986 outside Japan), the Prize recognises outstanding achievement in quality control management. Based on interviews with company representatives and a review of company documents, an explanation is presented of the implementation of a successful quality improvement programme in a service company. Topics discussed include the basic phases of such a programme – policy deployment, quality improvement teams, and quality in daily work – and a review of such a programme′s foundation elements: customer satisfaction, the plan/do/check/act circle, “management by facts”, and “respect for people”. Based on a literature review of other successful and less‐successful programmes, tentative prescriptions for implementing a successful quality circle and total improvement programme are pr.
Role of Zymogen and Activated Factor X as Scaffolds for the Inhibition of the Blood Coagulation Factor VIIa-Tissue Factor Complex by Recombinant Nematode Anticoagulant Protein c2*

Recombinant nematode anticoagulant protein c2 (rNAPc2) is a potent, factor Xa (fXa)-dependent small protein inhibitor of factor VIIa-tissue factor (fVIIa·TF), which binds to a site on fXa that is distinct from the catalytic center (exo-site). In the present study, the role of other fX derivatives in presenting rNAPc2 to fVIIa·TF is investigated. Catalytically active and active site blocked fXa, as well as a plasma-derived and an activation-resistant mutant of zymogen fX bound to rNAPc2 with comparable affinities (KD = 1–10 nm), and similarly supported the inhibition of fVIIa·TF (Ki * = ∼10 pm). The roles of phospholipid membrane composition in the inhibition of fVIIa·TF by rNAPc2 were investigated using TF that was either detergent-solubilized (TFS), or reconstituted into membranes, containing phosphatidylcholine (TFPC) or a mixture of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine (TFPCPS). In the absence of the fX derivative, inhibition of fVIIa·TF was similar for all three conditions (Ki ∼1 μm), whereas the addition of the fX derivative increased the respective inhibition by 35-, 150-, or 100,000-fold for TFS, TFPC, and TFPCPS. The removal of the γ-carboxyglutamic acid-containing domain from the fX derivative did not affect the binding to rNAPc2, but abolished the effect of factor Xa as a scaffold for the inhibition of fVIIa·TF by rNAPc2. The overall anticoagulant potency of rNAPc2, therefore, results from a coordinated recognition of an exo-site on fX/fXa and of the active site of fVIIa, both of which are properly positioned in the ternary fVIIa·TF·fX(a) complex assembled on an appropriate phospholipid surface.