Set Of Protocols Research Articles

Efficacy and safety of a new low-volume PEG with citrate and simethicone bowel preparation for pediatric elective colonoscopy: Phase 3 RCT.

Background and study aims Currently available polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based preparations continue to represent a challenge in children. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of a new low-volume PEG preparation with a conventional PEG-electrolyte solution (PEG-ES) in children and adolescents. Patients and methods This was a multicenter, randomized, observer-blind, parallel-group, phase 3 clinical trial, where patients were randomized between PMF104 (Clensia) and a conventional PEG-ES (Klean-Prep), and stratified by age stratum (2 to <6; 6 to < 12;12 to <18 years). The primary endpoint was to test the non-inferiority of PMF104 versus PEG-ES, in terms of colon cleansing. Safety, tolerability, acceptability, palatability, and compliance were also assessed. Efficacy endpoints were analyzed in the per protocol set (PPS) and full analysis set (FAS) and safety and tolerability endpoints in the safety set (SAF). Results Of the 356 patients enrolled, 258 were included in the PPS, 346 in the FAS, and 351 in the SAF. Non-inferiority of PMF104 was confirmed for children aged > 6 years and for all age groups in PPS and FAS, respectively. Optimal compliance was reported more frequently in the PMF104 than in the PEG-ES group, in both PPS (86.1% vs. 68.4%) and FAS (82.9% vs. 65.3%). Both preparations were equally safe and tolerable. Palatability and acceptability were considered better in the PMF104 group than in the PEG-ES group (27.1% vs. 15.3% and 15.3% vs. 3.5%, respectively). Conclusions In children aged 6 to 17 years, the new low-volume product PMF104 is non-inferior to the reference PEG-ES in terms of bowel cleansing, safety, and tolerability, with slightly better results in compliance, palatability, and acceptability.

Dose-Response Effect of an Inertia Flywheel Postactivation Performance Enhancement Protocol on Countermovement Jump Performance.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the dose-response effect of a high-load, 6-repetition, maximum effort inertial flywheel (IFw) squat postactivation performance enhancement (PAPE) protocol on countermovement jump (CMJ) performance metrics. Thirteen subjects completed 5 squat testing sessions: 1 session to determine back-squat 6-repetition maximum, 1 session to determine 6-repetition maximum IFw load, and 3 sessions to investigate the dose-response effect of an IFw PAPE protocol set at the load determined in the second session. In the IFw PAPE sessions, subjects completed either 1, 2, or 3 sets of IFw squats, then performed 5 CMJs over 12minutes (1, 3, 6, 9, and 12min post-IFw). All CMJ tests were conducted on a force platform where CMJ performance outcomes and impulse variables were calculated. There was no main time or volume effect for jump height, contact time, reactive strength index, peak force, or any of the impulse variables. A main time effect was identified for flight time (P = .006, effect size = 0.24) and peak power (P = .001, effect size = 0.28). The lack of change in jump height may indicate that too much fatigue was generated following this near-maximal IFw squat protocol, thereby reducing the PAPE effect.

Effect of "Tiaoshen" acupuncture technique on mild depression and its underlying mechanism: A randomized controlled trial study protocol

BackgroundMild depression is not just a mental disease, but also a serious and long-term public health issue. It affects the quality of life of patients and can quickly develop into major depression. There are currently no effective drug treatments with high efficacy and few adverse reactions. Acupuncture may be an alternative treatment option. Preliminary experiments and practices have demonstrated that "Tiaoshen" acupuncture improves symptoms in patients who have depression, however the underlying data and method remain unclear at present. MethodsThis is a prospective, single-center, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. We plan to recruit 70 participants and randomly assign them to receive "Tiaoshen" acupuncture or traditional acupuncture at a ratio of 1:1. Then, all the participants will receive the appropriate acupuncture treatment for four weeks. The results of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDSR-24) will serve as the primary outcome, while the results of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) will serve as secondary outcomes. Evaluations will be conducted at baseline, 1, 2, and 4 weeks after treatment initiation, and 1 and 3 months after treatment completion. The safety of the intervention will be evaluated every week using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and the Treatment Emergent Symptoms Scale (TESS). Serum levels of oxidative stress markers 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α), superoxide dismutase (SOD), uric acid (UA), and total bilirubin (TBIL) will be measured at baseline and the end of the treatment. We will conduct a statistical analysis of intention to treat (ITT) and conformance to protocol set (PPS) data. DiscussionThis research aims to provide high-quality evidence for the efficacy and safety of "Tiaoshen" acupuncture as a treatment for mild depression. In addition, the mechanism through which acupuncture heals mild depression will be investigated.

Embedded Cyber-Physical System for Physiological Control of Ventricular Assist Devices

Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) play a crucial role in both bridging to transplantation and serving as destination therapy for congestive heart failure (CHF) management. This study aims to address the limitations of existing control strategies for VADs, specifically their inability to adapt automatically to hemodynamic changes. It proposes a novel embedded cyber-physical system (CPS) based on real-time data processing, reconfigurable architecture, and communication protocols aligned with Health 4.0 concepts to enhance physiological control over VADs (PC-VAD). The research employs a multi-objective PC-VAD approach within a hybrid cardiovascular simulator. An embedded CPS is introduced to overcome challenges related to differences in controller characteristics between computers and embedded systems. The study assesses the performance of the embedded CPS by comparing it with a computer-based control system. The embedded CPS demonstrates outcomes comparable to the computer-based control system, maintaining mean arterial pressure and cardiac output at physiological levels. Even in the face of variations in ejection fraction, the embedded CPS dynamically adjusts the pump's rotational speed based on simulated clinical conditions. Notably, there is no aortic reflux to the ventricle through the VAD during testing. These findings affirm the satisfactory control performance of the embedded CPS in regulating VADs. The study concludes that the embedded CPS effectively addresses the limitations of current VAD control strategies, exhibiting control performance comparable to computer-based systems. However, further experimentation and in vivo studies are necessary to validate and ensure its applicability in real-world scenarios.

Impact of Acute Ocular Hypertension on Retinal Ganglion Cell Loss in Mice.

To assess the correlation between intraocular pressure (IOP) levels and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss across different fixed-duration episodes of acute ocular hypertension (AOH). AOH was induced in Thy1-YFP-H transgenic mice by inserting a needle connected to a saline solution container into the anterior chamber. Thirty-one groups were tested, each comprising three to five mice exposed to IOP levels ranging from 50 to 110mm Hg in 5/10mm Hg increments for 60/90/120minutes and a sham control group. The YFP-expressing RGCs were quantified by confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, whereas peripapillary ganglion cell complex thickness was measured using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Changes in RGC count and GCCT were determined from values measured 30days after AOH relative to baseline (before AOH). In the 60-minute AOH groups, RGC loss varied even when IOP was increased up to 110mm Hg (36.8%-68.2%). However, for longer durations (90 and 120minutes), a narrow range of IOP levels (60-70mm Hg for 90-minute duration; 55-65mm Hg for 120-minute duration) produced a significant difference in RGC loss, ranging from <25% to >90%. Additionally, loss of YFP-expressing RGCs was comparable to that of total RGCs in the same retinas. Reproducible RGC loss during AOH depends on precise durations and IOP thresholds. In the current study, the optimal choice is an AOH protocol set at 70mm Hg for a duration of 90minutes. This study can assist in determining the optimal duration and intensity of IOP for the effective utilization of AOH models.

OPC UA Application Study in Oil and Gas Pipeline Network Monitoring Data Forwarding

INTRODUCTION： With the continuous development of oil and gas pipeline network monitoring and control technology, the need for data transmission and communication is becoming more and more prominent. In this context, OPC UA has attracted wide attention. This study aims to explore the application of OPC UA in data forwarding for oil and gas pipeline network monitoring in order to improve the efficiency, reliability and security of data transmission.PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the applicability of OPC UA in oil and gas pipeline network monitoring and to verify its performance in data forwarding through empirical studies. By gaining an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of OPC UA, it aims to provide a more advanced and efficient monitoring data transfer solution for the oil and gas industry.METHOD: The study adopts a combination of field monitoring and laboratory simulation. First, the essential characteristics and requirements of monitoring data in oil and gas pipeline networks were collected. Subsequently, a monitoring system with OPC UA as the communication protocol was established and field tested. In the laboratory environment, data transmission scenarios under different working conditions were simulated, and the performance of OPC UA under different conditions was analyzed.RESULT: The field monitoring results show that the data transmission efficiency is significantly improved by using OPC UA as the communication protocol for data forwarding in oil and gas pipeline network monitoring. Meanwhile, the system performs well in different environments with high reliability and security. The laboratory simulation results further verify the stability and adaptability of OPC UA under complex working conditions.CONCLUSION: OPC UA is an effective communication protocol that can meet the data transmission requirements for oil and gas pipeline network monitoring. Its efficient, reliable, and secure characteristics make it an ideal choice for improving the communication performance of monitoring systems in the oil and gas industry. The empirical results of this study provide reliable technical support for the oil and gas industry in the field of data transmission and a vital reference for the optimization and upgrading of monitoring systems in the future.

Nature's Clean-Up Crew: Unlocking the Potential of Water Hyacinth as a Phytoremediation Wonder for Eutrophication Reduction in Aquatic Environments

This study aims to determine whether water hyacinth can be a phytoremediation tool to mitigate eutrophication in water bodies. Specifically, it seeks to observe the morphological changes in the leaves and stems of water hyacinth in terms of length and width, to describe the similarities and differences of water hyacinth from eutrophic and normal water aquariums, and to determine the efficacy of water hyacinth in mitigating eutrophication. The research employed an experimental research design, which constitutes a structured set of protocols and procedures tailored for conducting experimental investigations scientifically, employing two distinct sets of variables. In conclusion, the study found significant changes in water hyacinth's morphology when exposed to eutrophic water, with signs of distress observed after ten days due to high nutrient levels. Despite this, the findings support the potential of water hyacinth to mitigate eutrophication in water bodies, offering promise for enhanced water quality management.

Optimal Implementations of 8b/10b Encoders and Decoders for AMD FPGAs

The 8b/10b IBM encoding scheme is used in a plethora of communication technologies, including USB, Gigabit Ethernet, and Serial ATA. We propose two primitive-based structural designs of an 8b/10b encoder and two of an 8b/10b decoder, all targeted at modern AMD FPGA architectures. Our aim is to reduce the amount of resources used for the implementations. We compare our designs with implementations resulting from behavioral models as well as with state-of-the-art solutions from the literature. The implementation results show that our solutions provide the lowest resource utilization with comparable maximum operating frequency and power consumption. The proposed structural designs are suitable for resource-constrained data communication protocol implementations that employ the IBM 8b/10b encoding scheme. This paper is an extended version of our paper published at the 2022 International Symposium on Electronics and Telecommunications (ISETC), Timisoara, Romania, 10–11 November 2022.

Nature's Clean-Up Crew: Unlocking the Potential of Water Hyacinth as a Phytoremediation Wonder for Eutrophication Reduction in Aquatic Environments

This study aims to determine whether water hyacinth can be a phytoremediation tool to mitigate eutrophication in water bodies. Specifically, it seeks to observe the morphological changes in the leaves and stems of water hyacinth in terms of length and width, to describe the similarities and differences of water hyacinth from eutrophic and normal water aquariums, and to determine the efficacy of water hyacinth in mitigating eutrophication. The research employed an experimental research design, which constitutes a structured set of protocols and procedures tailored for conducting experimental investigations scientifically, employing two distinct sets of variables. In conclusion, the study found significant changes in water hyacinth's morphology when exposed to eutrophic water, with signs of distress observed after ten days due to high nutrient levels. Despite this, the findings support the potential of water hyacinth to mitigate eutrophication in water bodies, offering promise for enhanced water quality management.

10-year follow-up results of the European Achalasia Trial: a multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing pneumatic dilation with laparoscopic Heller myotomy

ObjectiveAs achalasia is a chronic disorder, long-term follow-up data comparing different treatments are essential to select optimal clinical management. Here, we report on the 10-year follow-up of the European Achalasia...

COVID-19 Rebound After VV116 vs Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir Treatment

With the widespread use of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs, accumulating data have revealed potential viral load rebound after treatment. To compare COVID-19 rebound after a standard 5-day course of antiviral treatment with VV116 vs nirmatrelvir-ritonavir. This is a single-center, investigator-blinded, randomized clinical trial conducted in Shanghai, China. Adult patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and within 5 days of SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled between December 20, 2022, and January 19, 2023, and randomly allocated to receive either VV116 or nirmatrelvir-ritonavir. Participants in the VV116 treatment group received oral 600-mg VV116 tablets every 12 hours on day 1 and 300 mg every 12 hours on days 2 through 5. Participants in the nirmatrelvir-ritonavir treatment group received oral nirmatrelvir-ritonavir tablets with 300 mg of nirmatrelvir plus 100 mg of ritonavir every 12 hours for 5 days. Participants were followed up every other day until day 28 and every week until day 60. The primary outcome was viral load rebound (VLR), defined as a half-log increase in viral RNA copies per milliliter compared with treatment completion. Secondary outcomes included a reduction in the cycle threshold value of 1.5 or more, time until VLR, and symptom rebound, defined as an increase of more than 2 points in symptom score compared with treatment completion. The primary outcome and secondary outcomes were analyzed using the full analysis set. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using the per protocol set. Adverse events were analyzed using the safety analysis set. The full analysis set included 345 participants (mean [SD] age, 53.2 [16.8] years; 175 [50.7%] were men) who received VV116 (n = 165) or nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (n = 180). Viral load rebound occurred in 33 patients (20.0%) in the VV116 group and 39 patients (21.7%) in the nirmatrelvir-ritonavir group (P = .70). Symptom rebound occurred in 41 of 160 patients (25.6%) in the VV116 group and 40 of 163 patients (24.5%) in the nirmatrelvir-ritonavir group (P = .82). Viral whole-genome sequencing of 24 rebound cases revealed the same lineage at baseline and at viral load rebound in each case. In this randomized clinical trial of patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, viral load rebound and symptom rebound were both common after a standard 5-day course of treatment with either VV116 or nirmatrelvir-ritonavir. Prolongation of treatment duration might be investigated to reduce COVID-19 rebound. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Identifier: ChiCTR2200066811.

A clinical protocol for immediate dental implant placement in post-extraction-infected sites decontaminated with Er,Cr:YSGG laser.

Placement of dental implants into fresh extraction sockets offers some advantages, such as reduced treatment times and enhanced patient comfort. The Er,Cr:YSGG (Erbium, Chromium-doped: Yttrium, Scandium, Gallium, and Garnet) laser can significantly reduce bacterial concentration after the extraction of a compromised tooth. The aim of this article is to provide a clinical protocol for the management of implants placed in infected extraction sites decontaminated with Er,Cr:YSGG laser. A compromised tooth, which was an abutment for a fixed bridge, with clinical and radiological signs of infection was extracted. The infected site was treated and decontaminated with an Er,Cr:YSGG laser device (Biolase iPlus®) and two implants (Straumann®) were placed in the same surgery, in order to rehabilitate the edentulous area. The intervention was completed by tissue regeneration with biomaterials. Prosthetic rehabilitation after the surgical phase allowed us to provide correct function and satisfactory esthetics. In the follow-up visit, clinicians found good tissue healing and did not observe any complications, such as implant loss or peri-implantitis. The technique used in our study is repeatable and predictable, but patient selection is very important for this type of protocol as the presence of contraindications can lead to failure. The photoacoustic effect exerted by this type of laser has been proven to be effective against many pathogens. Several authors have previously demonstrated the effectiveness of this technique. Immediate implantation in infected sites decontaminated with Er,Cr:YSGG laser does not seem to contribute to an increased risk of failure; however, it is necessary to follow a certain set of protocols and procedures to prevent peri-implantitis and other complications.

Nkrabea and Hyɛbrɛ in African Philosophy of Life

The concepts of nkrabea and hyɛbrɛ in Africa’s philosophy of life present very distinctive nomenclature and epistemology of how it applies within the socioreligiocultural cosmology. As a challenge to normative definition, the epistemology of the African philosophical context engenders new nomenclatures that hitherto were rejected by the hegemonic frameworks of Western paradigmatic nomenclature. The African philosophy of life which is formed by a very distinct socioreligioculture and framed by fascination and experience of the supernatural does not fail to recognise the existence of vast dimensions and active spiritual cosmology. If there is anything conceived with such an aura of reverence, it is life, beyond biological classification and, experiences such as the ability to think, feel, or be aware of one’s existence. Life is “energy” (spiritual force) which provides every element its function or purpose and nkrabea and hyɛbrɛ are the function or purpose predetermined for every element. The objective of the study was to find out the meaning of nkrabea and hyɛbrɛ and how they apply to the African philosophy of life. The study used a qualitative research method. Data was gathered from journals, articles, and library materials. Ethical responsibilities defined a set of principles and protocols that guided the study. The study concluded that the concepts of nkrabea, and hyɛbrɛ are conceptualised within the African philosophy of life and present critical nomenclatures on the function, or purpose of life within the context of human destiny and inform new epistemology. Its belief provides a perspective that informs the idea that nothing is purposeless. Keywords: Nkrabea, Hyɛbrɛ, Cosmology, Spirituality, Philosophy

Summary of National Standards on classroom acoustics: The data collection

Improving acoustic comfort in classrooms is paramount for enhancing intelligibility, fostering student concentration, and alleviating the vocal strain on teachers. The global discourse on acoustic quality in educational buildings has intensified in recent decades, with each country establishing its unique set of building codes, standards, guidelines, and voluntary point protocols to delineate acoustic quality parameters. Geometrical and architectural classroom variations, influenced by cultural and historical contexts, further contribute to the diversity of approaches. The present work provides a summary that investigates and compares local standards across various countries worldwide, aiming to offer a holistic understanding of the classroom acoustic landscape. The motivation for this summary lies in finding regulations that are not easily searchable on Scholar or Scopus. It involves human interpretation and consideration of building codes, often in local languages. More than 70 experts, distributed across continents, were queried about his local standards, their enforceability, room criteria, design rules; and non-acoustic factors like classroom geometry, average occupancy, and flexibility of learning spaces. By synthesizing insights from diverse regions, this study aspires to provide a global perspective on the state of acoustic quality in educational settings, shedding light on potential areas for improvement.

Realistic simulation and medical students' performance in the Advanced Cardiac Life Support course: a comparative study.

Clinical practice has benefited from new methodologies such as realistic simulation (RS). RS involves recreating lifelike scenarios to more accurately reflect real clinical practice, enhancing learners' skills and decision-making within controlled environments, and experiencing remarkable growth in medical education. However, RS requires substantial financial investments and infrastructure. Hence, it is essential to determine the effectiveness of RS in the development of skills among medical students, which will improve the allocation of resources while optimizing learning. This cross-sectional study was carried out in the simulation laboratory of a medical school, and the performance of students who underwent two different curriculum matrices (without RS and with RS, from 2021 to 2022) in the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) course was compared. This test was chosen considering that the competencies involved in cardiac life support are essential, regardless of the medical specialty, and that ACLS is a set of life-saving protocols used worldwide. We observed that the impact of RS can be different for practical abilities when compared with the theoretical ones. There was no correlation between the general academic performance and students' grades reflecting the RS impact. We conclude that RS leads to less remediation and increased competence in practical skills. RS is an important learning strategy that allows repeating, reviewing, and discussing clinical practices without exposing the patient to risks.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Realistic simulation (RS) positively affected the performance of the students differently; it had more influence on practical abilities than theoretical knowledge. No correlation between the general academic performance and grades of the students without RS or with RS was found, providing evidence that RS is an important tool in Advanced Cardiac Life Support education.

Maximum power and the corresponding efficiency for a Carnot-like thermoelectric cycle based on fluctuation theorem.

Here, we investigate the maximum power and efficiency of thermoelectric generators through devising a set of protocols for the isothermal and adiabatic processes of thermoelectricity to build a Carnot-like thermoelectric cycle, with the analysis based on fluctuation theorem. The Carnot efficiency can be readily obtained for the quasistatic thermoelectric cycle with vanishing power. The maximum power-efficiency pair of the finite-time thermoelectric cycle is derived, which is found to have the identical form to that of Brownian motors characterized by the stochastic thermodynamics. However, it is of significant discrepancy compared to the linear-irreversible and endoreversible-thermodynamics based formulations. The distinction with the linear-irreversible-thermodynamics case could result from the difference in the definitions of Peltier and Seebeck coefficients in the thermoelectric cycle. As for the endoreversible thermodynamics, we argue the applicability of endoreversibility could be questionable for analyzing the Carnot-like thermoelectric cycle, due to the incompatibility of the endoreversible hypothesis that attributes the irreversibility to finite heat transfer with thermal reservoirs, though the distinction in the mathematical expressions can vanish with the assumption that the ratio of thermoelectric power factors at the high and low temperatures (γ) is equal to the square root of the temperature ratio, γ=sqrt[T_{L}/T_{H}] (this condition could significantly deviate from the practical case). Last, utilizing our models as a concise tool to evaluate the maximum power-efficiency pairs of realistic thermoelectric material, we present a case study on the n-type silicon.

Generalising XTRACT tractography protocols across common macaque brain templates

Non-human primates are extensively used in neuroscience research as models of the human brain, with the rhesus macaque being a prominent example. We have previously introduced a set of tractography protocols (XTRACT) for reconstructing 42 corresponding white matter (WM) bundles in the human and the macaque brain and have shown cross-species comparisons using such bundles as WM landmarks. Our original XTRACT protocols were developed using the F99 macaque brain template. However, additional macaque template brains are becoming increasingly common. Here, we generalise the XTRACT tractography protocol definitions across five macaque brain templates, including the F99, D99, INIA, Yerkes and NMT. We demonstrate equivalence of such protocols in two ways: (a) Firstly by comparing the bodies of the tracts derived using protocols defined across the different templates considered, (b) Secondly by comparing the projection patterns of the reconstructed tracts across the different templates in two cross-species (human–macaque) comparison tasks. The results confirm similarity of all predictions regardless of the macaque brain template used, providing direct evidence for the generalisability of these tractography protocols across the five considered templates.

Efficacy and safety of Pien Tze Huang capsules in patients with herpes zoster: A multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled trial

BackgroundHerpes zoster (HZ) is a common medical condition accompanied by several distressing symptoms, including acute pain. Pien Tze Huang (PZH) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with numerous pharmacological effects, including antiviral properties, neuroprotection, and immunity regulation. PurposeTo investigate the efficacy and safety of PZH capsules in patients with HZ. Study designA multicenter, double-blinded, randomized, and placebo-controlled trial from 8 hospitals in 5 cities of China. MethodsEligible participants were randomly assigned to the PZH capsule and placebo group at a 1:1 ratio. Treatment was conducted for 14 days with a window period of no more than 2 days. For the first 7 days, participants received antiviral drugs combined with PZH capsules (0.6 g/time, 3 times a day) or placebos. For the remaining 7 days, they were only treated with PZH capsules (0.6 g/time, 3 times a day) or placebos. ResultsWe included 222 patients in the full analysis set (FAS), and 187 patients in the per protocol set (PPS). The change of numeric rating scale pain scores from baseline to the seventh day (±1 day) after treatment in the PZH capsule group was statistically superior to the placebo group (FAS: 2.33 vs. 1.71, 97.5%CI: 0.03 ∼ 1.19; PPS: 2.29 vs. 1.51, 97.5%CI: 0.18 ∼ 1.38). In the PPS, there was a significant difference in the time (days) of pain relief between the placebo group and the PZH capsule group (Mean (SD): 5.71 (3.76) vs. 4.69 (3.57), p = 0.046). On the seventh day (±1 day) after treatment, the level of CD8+ cells in the PZH capsule group were higher than those of the placebo group (FAS: Mean (SD): 24.08 (6.81) vs. 21.93 (8.19), p = 0.007; PPS: Mean (SD): 24.26 (6.93) vs. 22.15 (8.51), p = 0.012). The level of cytotoxic lymphocyte cells found similar results on the seventh day (±1 day) (FAS: Mean (SD): 12.17 (4.65) vs. 10.55 (4.15), p = 0.018; PPS: Mean (SD): 12.25 (4.65) vs. 10.11 (3.93), p = 0.002). No serious adverse events were noted and PZH capsules were well tolerated. ConclusionPZH capsules confer therapeutic effects on HZ with the TCM symptom of stagnated heat of liver channel by substantially reducing the pain intensity, shortening the time of pain relief as well as regulating the immune function. On the basis of the efficacy and safety profiles, PZH capsules may be a promising complementary therapy for the treatment of HZ.

MicroMPN: methods and software for high-throughput screening of microbe suppression in mixed populations.

We created a unified set of software and laboratory protocols for screening microbe libraries to assess the suppression of a pathogen in a mixed microbial community. Existing methods of fluorescent labeling were combined with the most probable number (MPN) assay in a microplate format to enumerate the reduction of a pathogenic soil microbe from complex soil matrices. This work provides a fluorescent expression vector available from Addgene, step-by-step laboratory protocols hosted by protocols.io, and MicroMPN, a command-line software for processing plate reader outputs. MicroMPN simplifies MPN estimation from 96- and 384-well microplates. The microplate screening assay is amenable to robotic automation with standard liquid handling robots, further reducing the hands-on processing time. This tool was designed to evaluate synthetic microbial communities for use as microbial inoculates or probiotics. The fluorMPN method is also useful for screening chemical and antimicrobial libraries for pathogen suppression in complex bacterial communities like soil.

A data-driven customer complaint management model for residential building companies

ABSTRACT Many companies in charge of the development and construction of residential building projects do not appropriately manage customer complaint records, especially regarding providing feedback about quality. Data collection and procedures for data analysis are often ineffective, which limits the generation of knowledge. Previous studies on customer complaints have been mostly focused on the analysis of large databases but do not propose overall solutions for managing this type of information, including data collection and analysis. This investigation aims to devise a data-driven customer complaint management model for providing feedback to the design and production phases of residential building projects. This model has a set of protocols for: (i) data collection that can be used for developing digital applications; and (ii) analyzing defect cause–effect relationships, considering the experts’ perspective, by using Directed Acyclic Graph and Bayesian Network. This investigation was conducted in collaboration with a Brazilian residential building company, using Design Science Research as methodological approach. The main outcome of this investigation is a set of data collection and analysis protocols that support the migration from the traditional approach of simply providing repair services during the defect liability period to a data-driven customer complaint management approach that provides feedback to quality management systems. HIGHLIGHTS A customer complaint management model must consider several perspectives; Digital applications must be used to support the implementation of data collection on defects; A complaint management model must deal with the complexity of defect formation. Abbreviations: BN: Bayesian Network; CRM: Customer Relationship Management; DAG: Direct Acyclic Graph; DLP: Defect Liability Period; DSR: Design Science Research; MEP: Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems