Search results for "PERFORMANCE."

Association of interleukin-6 rs1800796 polymorphism with reduced cognitive performance in healthy older adults

2019

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. With increasing life expectancy, age-associated cognitive impairment is an escalating problem worldwide. Inflammation is one of the features that characterises cognitive decline and can stimulate neurodegeneration. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a cytokine frequently associated with a pro-inflammatory phenotype and increased levels have been associated with the pathogenesis of dementia. The rs1800796 polymorphism in the promoter region of IL-6 gene was previously shown to influence IL-6 expression and therefore we hypothesised this gene polymorphism would be associated with IL-6 plasma levels and cognitive performance of older adults. The present study investigated the associa…

Monitoring of system conditioning after blank injections in untargeted UPLC-MS metabolomic analysis

2019

AbstractUltra-performance liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) is widely used for untargeted metabolomics in biomedical research. To optimize the quality and precision of UPLC-MS metabolomic analysis, evaluation of blank samples for the elimination of background features is required. Although blanks are usually run either at the beginning or at the end of a sequence of samples, a systematic analysis of their effect of the instrument performance has not been properly documented. Using the analysis of two common bio-fluids (plasma and urine), we describe how the injection of blank samples within a sequence of samples may affect both the chromatographic and MS detection performa…

Reply to: “Performance status in patients with HCC: New kid on the block”

2017

Real life triplet FIr/FOx chemotherapy in first-line metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients: Recommended schedule for expected activity…

2018

// Gemma Bruera 1, 2 , Silvia Massacese 3 , Stefania Candria 1 , Antonio Galvano 4 , Rosa Manetta 5 , Aldo Victor Giordano 5 , Sergio Carducci 5 , Alessandra Di Sibio 5 , Eugenio Ciacco 3 , Antonio Russo 4 , Enrico Ricevuto 1, 2 and on behalf of Oncology Network ASL1 Abruzzo, Italy 1 Oncology Territorial Care Unit, S. Salvatore Hospital, Oncology Network ASL1 Abruzzo, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy 2 Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy 3 Pharmacy Unit, S. Salvatore Hospital, Oncology Network ASL1 Abruzzo, L’Aquila, Italy 4 Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, Univers…

Short-course radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy before total mesorectal excision (TME) versus preoperative chemoradiotherapy, TME, and optional ad…

2021

BACKGROUND: Systemic relapses remain a major problem in locally advanced rectal cancer. Using short-course radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy and delayed surgery, the Rectal cancer And Preoperative Induction therapy followed by Dedicated Operation (RAPIDO) trial aimed to reduce distant metastases without compromising locoregional control. METHODS: In this multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial, participants were recruited from 54 centres in the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Slovenia, Denmark, Norway, and the USA. Patients were eligible if they were aged 18 years or older, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1, had a biopsy-prove…

Sleep, alertness and alertness management among commercial airline pilots on short-haul and long-haul flights

2016

Item does not contain fulltext Airline pilots' sleep and on-duty alertness are important focus areas in commercial aviation. Until now, studies pertaining to this topic have mainly focused on specific characteristics of flights and thus a comprehensive picture of the matter is not well established. In addition, research knowledge of what airline pilots actually do to maintain their alertness while being on duty is scarce. To address these gaps in research knowledge, we conducted a field study on a representative sample of the airline pilots of a medium-sized airline. The sample consisted of 90 pilots, of whom 30 flew long-haul (LH) routes, 30 short-haul (SH) routes, and 30 flew both. A tota…

2019

Foam rolling is thought to improve muscular performance and flexibility as well as to alleviate muscle fatigue and soreness. For this reason, foam rolling has become a popular intervention in all kinds of sport settings used to increase the efficiency of training or competition preparation as well as to speed post-exercise recovery. The objective of this meta-analysis was to compare the effects of foam rolling applied before (pre-rolling as a warm-up activity) and after (post-rolling as a recovery strategy) exercise on sprint, jump, and strength performance as well as on flexibility and muscle pain outcomes and to identify whether self-massage with a foam roller or a roller massager is more…

Generation of TCR-engineered reference cell samples to control T-cell assay performance

2020

In vitro cellular assays analyzing antigen-specific T cells are characterized by their high complexity and require controlled conditions to lower experimental variations. Without standard cellular reagents, it is difficult to compare results over time and across institutions. To overcome this problem, a simple and robust technology was developed to generate TCR-engineered reference samples (TERS) containing defined numbers of antigen-specific T cells. Utilization of TERS enables performance control of three main T-cell assays: MHC-peptide multimer staining, IFN-gamma ELISpot and cytokine flow cytometry. TERS continuously deliver stable results and can be stored for longer periods of time. H…

An exploration of digital ride-hailing multisided platforms' market dynamics: empirical evidence from the Uber case study

2020

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to experiment a dynamic performance management (DPM) approach to explore and assess the business dynamics of digital ride-hailing platforms with a focus on both supply and demand sides, and related interplays.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts the DPM framework supported by simulation-based experimentations for developing a systemic case interpretation of Uber Inc. and its specific business complexity.FindingsThe emerging scenario analysis reveals that changes in the commission percentage for drivers and cutting prices for customers (car hailers) by competitors have significant impacts on the car-hailing industry.Originality/valueDPM and assoc…

The MAM-CAP table: A new tool for monitoring panel performances

2014

Abstract Assessor performances in sensory analysis are usually represented by three indicators: repeatability, discrimination and agreement. However, assessors can also differ on the range of their scores, the so-called “scaling effect”. Brockhoff, Schlich, and Skovgaard (2013) proposed the mixed assessor model (MAM) which, as the original assessor model ( Brockhoff & Skovgaard, 1994 ), takes this effect into account, but also allows for the product effect to be tested against a new interaction free of the scaling effect. The present paper proposes a unified system for monitoring assessor and panel performances based on the MAM. In addition to the product effect (tested at panel and individ…