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Artificial Intelligence’s Efficacy for Setting Sales Appointments: A Conceptual Framework Informed by Relationship Marketing Theory & Uncanny Valley Theory
No full textThis paper proposes how to conduct an examination of the efficacy of using artificial intelligence (AI) for setting sales appointments. AI, an emerging technology, is reshaping how businesses function and stay competitive in their market (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2024). With AI?s ability to complete repetitive tasks (Luo, Tong, Fang, & Qu, 2019), the ability to save businesses time is key (Porteous, 2019). Generating revenue is one of the most important initiatives for sales organizations (Ahearne, 2023). In most organizations, entry-level sales agents utilize the traditional seven-step sales cycle (Paschen, Wilson, & Ferreira, 2020), most commonly conducted by operational phone activities (Shi, Sridhar, & Grewal, 2023). Thus, entry-level sales agents set sales appointments with clients in order to engage them in the sales cycle. Due to AI?s success with repetitive tasks, it begs the question of Artificial intelligence?s efficacy in setting sales appointments. This proposed study design aims to help assist future scholars in understanding how customers interact and perceive AI in a sales context through expanding upon Relationship Marketing Theory and Uncanny Valley Theory
Bimatoprost SR for Glaucoma Therapy Implanted at the Slit-Lamp in a Real-World Setting
No full textPurpose: To characterize clinical outcomes following a single administration of bimatoprost SR in eyes with glaucoma in a realworld setting implanted at the slit -lamp. Setting: Tertiary care Glaucoma practice, Glaucoma Associates of Texas, Dallas, Texas. Design: Retrospective interventional case series. Methods: Data were analyzed from consecutive patients receiving a single bimatoprost SR implant from the time of its approval to the time of data collection. All eyes were implanted at the slit -lamp. Eyes with less than 1 month of follow-up were excluded. The primary outcome was median time to next intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering intervention. Mean IOP and medication use, and changes from baseline, were also assessed through 12 months of follow-up. Results: Overall 129 eyes of 81 patients were analyzed. Following bimatoprost SR administration (replacing a topical prostaglandin analogue [PGA] in most eyes), the median survival time without any further IOP-lowering interventions was between 6-9 months. Mean IOP remained unchanged from baseline at month 1 (consistent with switch from topical to intracameral PGA therapy) and began to rise at month 3. At month 12, 40.5% of eyes (52 eyes) remained intervention -free, mean medication reduction was 0.5 medications per eye, and 27.8% of eyes (36 eyes) were medication -free. Adverse events were uncommon and most were transient and resolved with or without intervention. Conclusion: This real -world analysis of bimatoprost SR use for glaucoma therapy complements Phase 3 study findings and demonstrates that the implant can safely provide medication reduction through 6 months in most eyes and through 12 months in almost 40% of eyes
James Crossland. The Rise of Devils: Fear and the Origins of Modern Terrorism. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2023. xxvi + 345 pp. £20.00, cloth, ISBN 978-1-5261-6067-6.
No full textThe Rise of Devils is a welcome addition to the growing body of scholarship on the history of terrorism, and it signals how to push the field beyond the limits of scholars working on national histories or specific terrorist groups by examining transnational connections. Crossland is at his best in telling stories that let us peer into the left-wing radical milieu of late nineteenth-century Europe, full as it was of heady debates and grand schemes as well as petty bickering and betrayal. He makes a convincing case for viewing theories of terrorist violence as being solutions to the tactical dilemmas faced by European revolutionaries. Alas, he also makes a convincing case for why, despite the litany of false starts, failures, and damp squibs described in his book, terrorism still works: namely, that discontents of all descriptions can use violence to demand our attention and manipulate our worst fears
Is It Just Dumb Luck? The Challenge of Getting Access to Public Records Related to Smart City Technology
No full textMany state and local governments have begun to rely heavily on Smart City technologies, including license plate readers, gun-shot detection equipment, wastewater monitoring tools, and more. But the public often has little oversight with regard to their purchase, installation, and use. We analyze public records laws and relevant case law to examine whether the laws provide access to records about, and produced by, Smart City technologies. Even in states that broadly define "public record," officials regularly rely on exemptions -- often citing law enforcement or privacy concerns -- to deny access. Further, many Smart City technologies have not been addressed by the legislatures and courts, but legislation and litigation involving two technologies (police body-worn cameras and police dash cameras) have advanced -- offering some optimism
Public Interest in Acetyl Hexapeptide-8: Longitudinal Analysis
No full textBackground: Acetyl hexapeptide-8, also known as Argireline, is a topical, short-acting, synthetic peptide that has recently gained popularity for its antiwrinkle effects. This agent has emerged as a more accessible alternative to botulinum neurotoxin. Objective: This study evaluates the public interest in acetyl hexapeptide-8 in the United States from 2013 to 2023, as described by search volume on Google, the most-used search engine. Methods: We analyzed the longitudinal relative monthly search volume from January 1, 2013, to January 1, 2023, for acetyl hexapeptide–related terms. We compared the internet search trends for “Botox” during this period to “Argireline.” Results: The terms “Argireline” and “Botox in a Bottle” both had substantial increases in search volume in 2022. Although its search volume is drastically increasing, “Argireline” was less searched than “Botox,” which had a stable, up-trending search volume over the past decade. Conclusions: The increasing interest in acetyl hexapeptide-8 may be due to its cost-effectiveness and use as a botulinum neurotoxin alternative. Affordability, over-the-counter availability, and ease of self-application of the agent suggest its potential to enhance accessibility to cosmetic dermatologic care
Centering Racial Health Equity in Systematic Reviews Paper 3: A Systematic Review of Definitions For "Racial Health Equity" and Related Terms within Health Related Articles.
No full textObjectives To systematically evaluate definitions of “racial health equity” (RHE) and related terms within health-related academic literature. Study Design and Setting We systematically evaluated definitions of RHE and related terms within health-related academic articles. Articles published in English were included, and no date restrictions were imposed. Results We found 20 original articles containing relevant definitions out of 1816 retrieved articles, thirteen of which were published from 2020 to 2023. Themes used in the definitions varied; racism (n = 12) and quality of healthcare (n = 10) were the most common. Additional themes, including social hierarchy or marginalization, discrimination, justice, unmet social needs, and historical events were described within some definitions. Eleven of the included manuscripts defined race as a social construct. Conclusion This study depicts RHE as an emerging concept with limited consensus on racism, quality of health, and social determinants of health as important underlying frameworks. To center equity efforts and actions under a workable and shared vision, we recommend continued discussions regarding underlying meanings of RHE concepts and propose establishing a definition that promotes unity across health fields and prevents ambiguity
All turned against him: Exploring the social dimensions of Job’s suffering in light of the Mediterranean ethos of honor and shame
No full textThis project examines the suffering of the innocent—one of the most profound theological-moral topics concerning contingency in human life as found in the Hebrew Bible—by probing into the struggles of the human character, Job, over his sudden calamities in the Book of Job. The aim of this study is to identify the social root of his suffering and the perceptual, rhetorical, and social dynamics this aspect of suffering creates within his dialogues with his three friends, especially in Job 3:1 to 31:40. Specifically, by taking the collectivistic socio-cultural traits implied in the literary representation of Job’s society as a cue to view his case in light of scholarly discussions concerning modern societies with similar socio-cultural contexts, I analyze Job’s lingering attention to his public recognition through the lens of the Mediterranean ethos of honor and shame. This process reveals the collapsed social-theological foundation of his perceived worth and the economic basis of the public’s invalidation of his worth, which functions as the most fundamental and significant hurdle in his effort to confront the injustice he perceives in their collective behavior. This study intends for the proposed analysis to assist Bible readers in coping with similar human relationship issues inherent in their own lives
Innocence and its Impact on the Public
No full textThe "Innocence Movement" has sparked a debate regarding the efficacy and reliability of the American justice system. In recent years, exonerations of death row inmates and incarcerated persons has become more frequent and more heavily publicized. During the same time frame, public opinion regarding capital punishment has become more negative. Previous scholarly literature focusing on the relationship between exonerations and public support of capital punishment has largely established that exonerations decrease public opinion for the practice. However, the literature diverges when discussing causal factors such as framing effects and the way information is presented. Thus, this research explores how the type of information delivery regarding exonerations, being informal or formal, impacts public support for the death penalty. Additionally, this research focuses on the type of exoneration, based on DNA evidence or procedural concerns, and how that impacts public opinion on capital punishment. It is hypothesized that article style delivery and DNA based evidence, compared to meme style delivery and procedural based evidence, will cause the most pronounced decrease in public support for the death penalty. This study was performed using an experimental survey, employing one control group and four treatment groups; an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression statistical test was performed to analyze the data gathered. The findings of this research show that article style delivery does result in a more pronounced decrease in public support for capital punishment than the more informal, meme style delivery. However, the implications of this study indicate that the type of exoneration, DNA based or procedural based, does not have a statistically significant impact on public opinion regarding the death penalty. Contributing to the development of scholarly research surrounding capital punishment and public sentiment, this research illuminates the impact of information delivery on public opinion
The Salt-Induced Diffusiophoresis of Nonionic Micelles—Does the Salt-Induced Growth of Micelles Influence Diffusiophoresis?
No full textSalt-induced diffusiophoresis is the migration of a colloidal particle in water due to a directional salt concentration gradient. An important example of colloidal particles is represented by micelles, generated by surfactant self-assembly in water. For non-ionic surfactants containing polyethylene glycol (PEG) groups, PEG preferential hydration at the micelle�water interface is expected to drive micelle diffusiophoresis from high to low salt concentration. However, micelles are reversible supramolecular assemblies, with salts being able to promote a significant change in micelle size. This phenomenon complicates the description of diffusiophoresis. Specifically, it is not clear to what extent the salt-induced growth of micelles affects micelle diffusiophoresis. In this paper, a multiple-equilibrium model is developed for assessing the contribution of the micelle growth and preferential hydration mechanisms to the diffusiophoresis of non-ionic micelles. The available experimental data characterizing the effect of NaCl on Triton X-100 aggregation number are combined with data on diffusiophoresis and the preferential hydration of PEG chains to show that the contribution of the micelle growth mechanism to overall diffusiophoresis is small compared to that of preferential hydration
Proline variants in the BRCA1 coiled†coil domain disrupt folding and binding to PALB2
No full textInherited mutations in the genes coding for the tumor suppressor proteins BRCA1 and PALB2 can lead to increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Upon DNA damage, these two proteins form a complex to promote double†stranded break repair via homologous recombination. Missense mutations in either BRCA1 or PALB2 that disrupt this important interaction result in loss of effective DNA damage repair and are associated with breast tumorigenesis. However, the overwhelming majority of missense mutations found in the binding domains of these two genes remain classified as variants of unknown significance. Here we report an in vitro assay for assessing the effect of variants of unknown significance on the heterodimerization of PALB2 and BRCA1 that recapitulates the effect of the known deleterious mutations. We apply the assay to several variants of unknown significance in BRCA1 which reveals other mutations in this region that also disrupt binding, including a mutation of a residue not predicted to directly interact with PALB2. Structural analysis indicates that all BRCA1 mutations to proline tested disrupt α†helix formation and therefore are not well tolerated even when located at positions outside of the PALB2†binding interface. This assay and the structural hypothesis described will be helpful for assessing risk for variants identified in the future in the BRCA1/PALB2 interaction domains