Mixed Protocol Research Articles

Injectable Hydrogels for Programmable Nanoparticle Release

AbstractInjectable hydrogels represent a promising strategy for the extended release of biological molecules, thereby reducing the frequency of injections. This study introduces a novel system based on Michael addition of dextran and polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymers functionalized with oxanorbornadiene (OND) and thiol groups, respectively. Reliable control over gelation speed allows administration by injection using a simple syringe‐to‐syringe mixing protocol that entrains more than 95% of virus‐like particle (VLP) cargo. A combination of retro‐Diels‐Alder and hydrolytic ester bond cleavage gives rise to programmable release of the VLPs. Different release profiles, including burst, linear, and delayed release over a two‐week period, are engineered using different OND linkages, and rheological characterization shows the hydrogels to be well within the desired range of stiffness for subcutaneous use. The modular nature of this system offers a generalizable platform for developing degradable materials aimed at sustained release biomedical applications.

Predictors of neonatal hypothermia within six hours of birth and exploring preventive practices among post-natal mothers in Kilimanjaro region: Explanatory sequential mixed method protocol.

Neonatal hypothermia is a worldwide problem that can lead to a high impact on neonatal health outcomes if appropriate thermal care measures are not implemented. Tackling neonatal hypothermia from the time of delivery with appropriate thermal care measures will increase neonatal survival and decrease complications related to hypothermia. The study aims to determine the predictors of neonatal hypothermia within six hours of birth and explore its preventive practices among postnatal mothers. This is a mixed-method sequential explanatory study. The first phase will be a quantitative study with a hospital-based analytical cross-sectional design. 325 neonates and their mothers will be randomly selected through a 4-stage sampling technique. The data will be collected using a structured questionnaire, checklist and documentary review. Descriptive and inferential statistics will be used to analyse the data. The second phase will be a descriptive qualitative study involving postnatal mothers who participated in a quantitative study. The data will be collected via in-depth interviews, and thematic analysis will be used to analyse the data. The findings of quantitative and qualitative studies will be triangulated in the discussion. This study will provide a wide understanding of neonatal hypothermia in the region which will help healthcare providers who are caring for neonates to be informed about the current situation, evaluate the care they provide, and find the best way to adhere to thermal care measures. Moreover, the practices of postnatal mothers will be known, which will help to develop tailored interactions to address this problem.

Arsenic (III) and (V) complexes from solvent free condition and their kinetic factors leading to arsenic nanoparticles

A clear melt from catechol and sodium salts of arsenic (III and V) were obtained individually from the grinding mixing protocol (GMP). The as-obtained molten mass from exothermic reaction between catechol and arsenic salts motivated isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) advocating the propensity of complex catecholate formation. Individual ITC results substantiated structurally two different mono-anionic complexes, one for arsenic (III) and the other for arsenic (V) ions, of catechol in water at room temperature. Then, the compositions of both the mono-anionic complexes with stoichiometry 1:2 and 1:3 (w∕w) were confirmed for arsenic (III) and (V), respectively. It was shown here for the 1st time that both the complexes supplemented two neat precursors for useful arsenic nanoparticle (As NP) preparation from pH control redox reactions. Again, galvanic replacement reaction (GRR) between As NP and HAuCl4 evolved Au NPs of comparable size as that of As NPs. Thus, thermodynamic results, binding constant (Kb) values, redox kinetic studies and ion associate formation of the two catecholates clearly differentiated the stability (labile and inert character) of As(III) and As(V) catecholates. Conclusively, electrochemistry, galvanic replacement reaction, DLS, thermal analysis, and diverse spectrometric results provided 1st hand support for the complex catecholates of arsenic, a p-block metalloid as labile and inert characters respectively in two different (III) and (V) oxidation states.

Co-designing a blueprint for spreading person-centered, Whole Health care to HIV specialty care settings: a mixed methods protocol

BackgroundSince 2013, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has advanced a person-centered, Whole Health (WH) System of Care, a shift from a disease-oriented system to one that prioritizes “what matters most” to patients in their lives. Whole Health is predicated on patient-provider interactions marked by a multi-level understanding of health and trusted relationships that promote well-being. Presently, WH implementation has been focused largely in primary care settings, yet the goal is to effect a system-wide transformation of care so that Veterans receive WH across VHA clinical settings, including specialty care. This sort of system-wide cultural transformation is difficult to implement.MethodsThis three-aim mixed methods study will result in a co-designed implementation blueprint for spreading WH from primary to specialty care settings. Taking HIV specialty care as an illustrative case- because of its diverse models of relationships to primary care - to explore how to spread WH through specialty care settings. We will use the integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework to organize quantitative and qualitative data and identify key determinants of WH receipt among Veterans living with HIV. Through a co-design process, we develop an adaptable implementation blueprint that identifies and matches implementation strategies to different HIV specialty care configurations.DiscussionThis study will co-design a flexible implementation blueprint for spreading WH from VHA primary care throughout HIV specialty care settings. This protocol contributes to the science of end-user engagement while also answering calls for greater transparency in how implementation strategies are identified, tailored, and spread.

Protecting oneself while supporting the organisation: A longitudinal exploratory study of healthcare workers’ coping strategies and organisational resilience processes in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major source of stress for health professionals and health institutions. In response, healthcare workers adapted their behaviours to protect their health and the organisational resilience of their institutions. The study aimed to explore these individual coping and organisational resilience strategies and their evolution during the first year of the pandemic. Based on a mixed and longitudinal protocol, the study included staff from several French-speaking Swiss healthcare institutions. Participants completed an online questionnaire three times during the first year of the pandemic. They described daily problematic work situations, coping styles, and organisational resilience strategies. ‘Problem solving’ was the most frequently reported coping style, followed by ‘positive thinking’, and in a lesser extent ‘seeking social support’ and ‘avoidance’. A high level of ‘problem solving’ and ‘positive thinking’ was associated with well-managed situations, learning and development of new work practices and higher team performance. A higher level of ‘seeking social support’ and ‘avoidance’ tended to be associated with high-risk problematic situations that hindered organisation resilience. Coping strategies differed depending on profession, job tenure and hierarchical status. The article concludes with recommendations for improving both organisational resilience and individual workers’ well-being in healthcare institutions.

Neurofeedback Training Protocols in Sports: A Systematic Review of Recent Advances in Performance, Anxiety, and Emotional Regulation.

(1) Background. Neurofeedback has been used in sports since the 1990s, frequently showing positive outcomes in enhancing athletic performance. This systematic review provides an updated analysis of neurofeedback training in sports, evaluating reaction time, cognitive performance, and emotional regulation to address literature gaps and suggest future research directions. (2) Methods. A systematic search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases for articles published from January 2016 to April 2023. The search included only original articles written in English, resulting in 24 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. (3) Results. The reviewed studies cover a wide range of sports, including golf, basketball, swimming, rifle shooting, football, volleyball, athletics, judo, ice hockey, triathlon, handball, fencing, taekwondo, and darts. They involved athletes of varying experience levels (beginners, professionals, and experts) and utilized neurofeedback training targeting different frequency bands (alpha, beta, theta, and SMR), either individually or in mixed protocols. Findings show improvements in sports and cognitive performance, emotional regulation, and anxiety management. (4) Conclusions. This systematic review supports the effectiveness of neurofeedback in enhancing sports and cognitive performance across various disciplines and experience levels. Notable improvements were observed in technical skills, physical performance parameters, scoring, attention, concentration, reaction time, short-term and working memory, self-regulation, and cognitive anxiety. Future research should standardize protocols, include more diverse samples, and explore long-term effects to further validate these findings.

Siblings of Persons with Disabilities: A Systematic Integrative Review of the Empirical Literature.

The systematic review aimed to systematize the empirical literature on the psychological impact of disability on the siblings of persons with disabilities, to inform research and provide clinical recommendations. Two research questions addressed the review: (1) What are the main psychological constructs investigated in siblings of persons with disability? (2) What is the main role of each psychological construct in siblings of persons with disability experience? The electronic search was conducted in 7 databases and the PRISMA diagram was used. The inclusion criteria were: Papers published in English and in peer-reviewed journals; papers published between January 2014 and June 2024; qualitative, quantitative, and mixed studies; and papers on the psychological impact of disabilities and/or chronic illnesses on the experience of siblings of persons with disabilities. The standardized Mixed Method Appraisal Tool protocol was used to appraise the methodological quality of the studies. To summarize the findings, a narrative approach was adopted. A total of 60 studies have been reviewed. According to the methodological quality appraisal of studies, most of them reported a high (n = 45) and medium (n = 15) quality. They involved 10,146 participants. Findings revealed that sibling relationships, sibling-focused parentification, and emotional/behavioral adjustment are the main psychological constructs investigated by existing literature. Few studies focused on siblings' well-being. Studies exploring more than a psychological construct were included as a hybrid. Only one study examined the siblings' psychological experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The quality of the sibling relationship ranged from good to poor; the caregiver is the main role played by siblings of persons with disabilities; anxiety, depression, and aggressive behaviors are the main emotional/behavioral symptoms revealed. Most studies (n = 39) recruited participants with brothers or sisters with mental disorders. The findings of this systematic review may play a role in the clinical field, as they might help to design gender- and age-specific intervention programs.

Optimizing RT-qPCR Detection of Enveloped and Non-enveloped Viruses in Wastewater: A Comparative Study in Grenada

Abstract Introduction/Objective Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an effective methodology to monitor the community spread of pathogens and has successfully been used to identify potential outbreaks. Most standardized methodologies used in WBE for the detection of viruses have been validated for non-enveloped viruses; therefore, there is a need for the development of a standardized protocol for the detection of both enveloped (such as SARS- CoV-2) and non-enveloped viruses (such as Hepatitis A). Wastewater seeded with Pseudomonas syringae bacteriophage (Φ6), an enveloped virus surrogate, and coliphage MS2, a non-enveloped virus surrogate, were used to evaluate the efficiency of four different aluminium flocculation methods. Untreated wastewater spiked with known amounts of surrogates was used as a control for viral recovery. Methods/Case Report Four different viral concentration methods were used. Method 1: AlCl3 flocculation at pH 3.5 followed by centrifugation, resuspension with 10% beef extract and filtered with a 0.22 μm filter. Method 2: AlCl3 flocculation at pH 6.0 followed by room temperature agitation, centrifugation, and resuspension with 3% beef extract. Method 3: Mixed method protocol-AlCl3 flocculation at pH 3.5 followed by room temperature agitation, centrifugation, resuspension with 3% beef extract. Method 4: Mixed method protocol-AlCl3 flocculation at pH 6.0 followed by centrifugation, resuspension with 10% beef extract filtered with a 0.22 μm filter. Viral RNA was extracted after concentration, and reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT- qPCR) was performed. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) The average Ct reduction of untreated wastewater compared to spiked was calculated for each method. The highest recovery of both Φ6 and MS2 was obtained using Method 3 (mixed protocol) with a significant difference at 95% confidence in the recovery of Φ6 (p= 0.0029) and MS2 (p= 0.0225). Conclusion Previous results from our lab demonstrate the importance of pH during the flocculation step of viral concentration using different methods of concentration. Here, the results suggest that the increased contact time between virus and the flocs is also critical. This can facilitate the implementation of WBE in Grenada to monitor and track potential viral outbreaks of both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and Hepatitis A.

Exploring interfacial tension role in the laminar morphology development in reactive compatibilized PP/EVOH

AbstractLaminar-like structures in PP/EVOH (80/20 wt%) blends were developed by in situ reactive compatibilization using a co-rotating intermeshing twin-screw extrusion without the imposition of post-die-forming elongation flows, i.e., draw ratio (DR) = 0. For that, a maleic anhydride-grafted homopolymer polypropylene (PP-g-MA) was added at 1, 1.5, and 3 wt% using a simple mixing protocol. The correlation between the laminar morphology observed via SEM with interfacial parameters was conducted by nonlinear regression of PP/EVOH viscoelastic response (Gʹ and Gʹʹ) applying the Monomodal Palierne Model to estimate interfacial tension. Uncompatibilized PP/EVOH formed a droplet-matrix morphology with high interfacial tension, indicating incompatibility. As PP-g-MA is added, a laminar-like structure is developed. The remaining droplets become smaller at higher content, with lower interfacial tension between the phases. This scenario hampers the stratification of the dispersed phase. At 3 wt% of PP-g-MA, the morphology returns to being a droplet-matrix, although with high adhesion between the phases. Graphical abstract

Influence of mixing protocols on flow retention of one-part alkali activated slag systems

Poor workability and rapid flowability loss are among several challenges hindering the wider acceptance of alkali-activated slag (AAS) (i.e. shrinkage, efflorescence). Several attempts were made to solve this issue, focusing more on selected ingredients, proportions, type and dosage of admixtures, and addition sequence. This study shifted the focus to mixing protocol, highlighting its potential and effects on AAS flow retention considering mixing duration, sequence, and relaxation time. Various one-part AAS mixtures activated by 6 %, 8 %, and 10 % sodium metasilicate were tested. Mixing protocols were applied for 10–90 min, mixing with and without relaxation time. Mini-slump, flowability-loss rate, setting time, the heat of hydration, rheological properties, and compressive strength were evaluated. Changes in hydration products were also examined by XRD, FTIR and TGA. Pearson correlation coefficient and ANOVA were applied to identify the dominant factors. Results reveal the dependency of the optimum mixing protocol on the used activator dosage. A long mixing period with r intervals was more effective for high activator dosages due to the continuous breakdown of formed hydration products' links. Modifying the mixing protocol did not alter the amount of formed hydration products, regardless of the activator dosage. These findings pave the way to understanding the role played by the mixing protocol in mineral hydration for wider in-situ implementation of AAS and the flourishing potential of the ready-mix AAS market.

In-vitro fertilization experience with follitropin-delta in poor responders identified by POSEIDON Classification.

Controlled ovarian stimulation during in-vitro fertilization (IVF) is personalized based on anticipated hyper, normal, poor response. With respect to poor responders, who are often treated using higher gonadotropin dosing and combination of urinary and recombinant gonadotropins (rFSH) with marginal benefit, we report our experience with a newer, more potent rFSH (Follitropin-δ) undergoing IVF. Retrospective analysis of all IVF cycles in which follitropin-δ was used alone or combined with urinary gonadotropins over a 3-year period. Patients were grouped according to the POSEIDON Classification as expected low responders (POSEIDON 3-4; AMH<1.2; N.=45), unexpected low responders (POSEIDON 1-2; retrieval of ≤9 oocytes; N.=67) and those with a normal response (N.=93). Demographic, stimulation (including target number of retrieved oocytes [8 to14]), embryology and clinical outcome parameters (clinical pregnancy rate [CPR], live birth rate [LBR], cumulative live birth rate [cLBR]) were compared. Those categorized as POSEIDON patients were older, had lower ovarian reserve, were more likely to use a mixed protocol, less likely to reach the target oocytes retrieved (35.7% vs. 51.6%, P<0.001), and had a lower cLBR per patient (29.5% vs. 38.7%, P=0.006) when compared to non-POSEIDON patients. Expected low responders (POSEIDON 3-4) were older and had lower AMH when compared to unexpected low responders (POSEIDON 1-2), but no differences in the target of oocytes retrieved (33.3% vs. 37.3%, P=0.66) and cLBR (28.9% vs. 37.3%, P=0.06) were noted. In expected low responders, follitropin-δ can be used to optimize oocyte collection and clinical outcome though one may need to deviate from the algorithm-suggested dose. Future studies should explore stimulation modifications in unexpected low responders.

Application of ICU electronic diary platform based on co-design concept in Chinese critically ill patients: a mixed methods study protocol.

Critically ill patients are at a heightened risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While the intensive care unit (ICU) diary has been shown to improve the mental health and quality of life of ICU patients, the handwritten version still has some limitations such as a lack of support for multimedia content and writing by remote family members, as well as being time-consuming and labour-intensive. We hypothesise that constructing an ICU electronic diary platform based on a co-design approach and verifying its applicability could alleviate these limitations, making the ICU diary more convenient for users. This sequential exploratory mixed-methods study will consist of four consecutive phases: understanding the ICU diary research content and implementation, developing an ICU electronic diary platform after conducting qualitative interviews with stakeholders, verifying the applicability of the platform and verifying its effectiveness. Ethics approval was obtained from the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University (approval number: KLL-2023-602). The results of this study will be distributed through peer-reviewed journals. Chinese Clinical Trial Register (ChiCTR2400079903).

Evaluating the effects, implementation experience and political economy of primary healthcare facility autonomy reforms within counties in Kenya: a mixed methods study protocol

IntroductionThere is a growing emphasis on improving primary healthcare (PHC) services and granting frontline service providers more decision-making autonomy. In October 2023, Kenya enacted legislation mandating nationwide facility autonomy. There...

Clean intermittent catheterisation determinants and caregiver adherence in paediatric patients with spinal dysraphism and spinal cord injury in a paediatric spinal differences clinic: a mixed methods study protocol

IntroductionClean intermittent catheterisation (CIC) is the standard of care for treating neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD), the most common bladder dysfunction in children diagnosed with spinal dysraphism (SD) and...

Evaluation of childbirth readiness and its associated factors and consequences in pregnant women referring to health centers in Tabriz, Iran and providing strategies to promote childbirth readiness: a sequential explanatory mixed method study protocol.

Childbirth readiness encompasses interventions conducted during pregnancy that encourage pregnant women, their families and communities to plan for a healthy pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum period. It enhances women's childbirth experience and diminishes maternal mortality rates. This study seeks to assess the level of childbirth readiness, relevant factors and outcomes among pregnant women who have completed 37 or more weeks of gestational age and are attending health centres in Tabriz, Iran. The objective is to offer strategies for enhancing childbirth readiness. This sequential explanatory mixed-method study comprises three phases. The initial quantitative phase involves a descriptive-analytical longitudinal study focusing on pregnant women at 37 weeks of gestation or beyond. The quantitative data will be gathered by the sociodemographic and obstetric information questionnaire, the childbirth readiness scale, the pregnancy experience scale, the Wijma delivery expectancy/experience questionnaire (version A) (W-DEQ-Version A), the childbirth experience questionnaire-2, the childbirth outcome checklist, the Edinburgh's postnatal depression scale (EPDS), the postpartum specific anxiety scale research short-form, the next pregnancy desire questionnaire and the exclusive breastfeeding checklist. In the subsequent qualitative phase, purposive sampling will be employed, and data will be collected through individual, in-depth and semi-structured interviews featuring open-ended questions. Data analysis will be conducted using conventional content analysis techniques. In the final mixed-method phase, strategies to enhance childbirth readiness will be formulated by integrating findings from the quantitative and qualitative studies, a comprehensive literature review, and employing the Delphi method. This study has received approval from the Ethics Committee of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Tabriz, Iran (code number: IR.TBZMED.REC.1401.557). All participants will provide written informed consent before taking part in the study. The outcomes will be shared through articles published in journals, presentations at medical conferences, the validation of a reliable scale for assessing the level of childbirth readiness in pregnant women and the development of a policy brief outlining supportive strategies to improve childbirth readiness. These resources will be valuable for healthcare providers.

Asymptotic Synchronization for Caputo Fractional-Order Time-Delayed Cellar Neural Networks with Multiple Fuzzy Operators and Partial Uncertainties via Mixed Impulsive Feedback Control

To construct Caputo fractional-order time-delayed cellar neural networks (FOTDCNNs) that characterize real environments, this article introduces partial uncertainties, fuzzy operators, and nonlinear activation functions into the network models. Specifically, both the fuzzy AND operator and the fuzzy OR operator are contemplated in the master–slave systems. In response to the properties of the considered cellar neural networks (NNs), this article designs a new class of mixed control protocols that utilize both the error feedback information of systems and the sampling information of impulse moments to achieve network synchronization tasks. This approach overcomes the interference of time delays and uncertainties on network stability. By integrating the fractional-order comparison principle, fractional-order stability theory, and hybrid control schemes, readily verifiable asymptotic synchronization conditions for the studied fuzzy cellar NNs are established, and the range of system parameters is determined. Unlike previous results, the impulse gain spectrum considered in this study is no longer confined to a local interval (−2,0) and can be extended to almost the entire real number domain. This spectrum extension relaxes the synchronization conditions, ensuring a broader applicability of the proposed control schemes.

Development and validation of automated methods for COVID-19 PCR Master Mix preparation

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays were widely deployed during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic for population-scale testing. High-throughput molecular diagnostic laboratories required a high degree of process automation to cope with huge testing demands, fast turnaround times, and quality requirements. However, process developers and optimizers often neglected the critical step of preparing a PCR Master Mix. The construction of PCR Master Mix depends on operator skill during the manual pipetting of reagents. Manual procedures introduce variation, inconsistency, wastage, and potentially risks data integrity. To address this, we developed a liquid-handler-based solution for automated, traceable, and compliant PCR Master Mix preparation. Here, we show that a fully automated PCR Master Mix protocol can replace manual pipetting, even in a diagnostic environment, without affecting accuracy or precision. Ultimately, this method eliminated operator-induced wastage and improved the consistency of the quality of results.

Integrating Social Determinants of Health in Machine Learning-Driven Decision Support for Diabetes Case Management: Protocol for a Sequential Mixed Methods Study.

The use of both clinical factors and social determinants of health (SDoH) in referral decision-making for case management may improve optimal use of resources and reduce outcome disparities among patients with diabetes. This study proposes the development of a data-driven decision-support system incorporating interactions between clinical factors and SDoH into an algorithm for prioritizing who receives case management services. The paper presents a design for prediction validation and preimplementation assessment that uses a mixed methods approach to guide the implementation of the system. Our study setting is a large, tertiary care academic medical center in the Deep South of the United States, where SDoH contribute to disparities in diabetes-specific hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits. This project will develop an interpretable artificial intelligence model for a population with diabetes using SDoH and clinical data to identify which posthospitalization cases have a higher likelihood of subsequent ED use. The electronic health record data collected for the study include demographics, SDoH, comorbidities, hospitalization-related factors, laboratory test results, and medication use to predict posthospitalization ED visits. Subsequently, a mixed methods approach will be used to validate prediction outcomes and develop an implementation strategy from insights into patient outcomes from case managers, clinicians, and quality and patient safety experts. As of December 2023, we had abstracted data on 174,871 inpatient encounters between January 2018 and September 2023, involving 89,355 unique inpatients meeting inclusion criteria. Both clinical and SDoH data items were included for these patient encounters. In total, 85% of the inpatient visits (N=148,640) will be used for training (learning from the data) and the remaining 26,231 inpatient visits will be used for mixed-methods validation (testing). By integrating a critical suite of SDoH with clinical data related to diabetes, the proposed data-driven risk stratification model can enable individualized risk estimation and inform health professionals (eg, case managers) about the risk of patients' upcoming ED use. The prediction outcome could potentially automate case management referrals, helping to better prioritize services. By taking a mixed methods approach, we aim to align the model with the hospital's specific quality and patient safety considerations for the quality of patient care and the optimization of case management resource allocation. DERR1-10.2196/56049.

Utilizing synergy of MLG and MWCNT with optimized mixing protocol to improve the high temperature stability of SBS modified bitumen

High temperature instability is the biggest problem which limits the application of Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) modified bitumen in flexible pavements. Addition of multi-layer graphene (MLG) nanomaterial improves the performance of SBS modified bitumen, but deteriorates its thermal stability. The binary additive comprising of MLG and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) can be a way to improve the thermal stability through their synergistic effects, however, mixing protocol needs to be optimized simultaneously. In this present study, MLG, MWCNT and their combination have been dispersed by two different organic solvent dissolution protocols, i.e., wet and dry to prepare the SBS-nano modified binders. Thermal stability analysis and rheological characterization (small & large amplitude oscillatory shear) have been used to optimize the method and to compare the effect of sole and binary additive. Advanced tools such as Raman spectroscopy and Field emission scanning electron microscopy have been used to understand the underlying science at micro-molecular level. The synergistic effects of combined additives are prominently visible only in dry organic dissolution method and with this method, the combination of MLG-MWCNT (0.1phr-1phr) significantly eliminates the thermal instability of SBS modified binder by upto 96 %. This SBS-nano modified bitumen may serve as futuristic binder for the black top pavements.

Enhancing DC microgrids cluster performance with distributed event-triggered consensus protocols

Microgrid (MG) clusters offer solutions to the challenges faced by individual MGs in extreme conditions but require precise coordination to manage generation-load imbalances effectively. This paper presents a hierarchical control strategy that combines time-based and event-based consensus protocols (ETC) in the overarching control layer. Traditional time-based protocols require constant sampling, leading to unnecessary communication and computational burdens. To address this, we introduce a mixed time-state dependent distributed event-triggered consensus protocol (MDETC), which reduces communication needs while maintaining MG performance. A set-time consensus algorithm is used at the secondary control level to synchronize currents and voltages quickly. Additionally, the integration of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) in primary control ensures efficient current distribution and voltage regulation among neighboring MGs. The study also explores automatic reconfiguration within the cluster to support Plug-N-Play functionality, ensuring seamless MG operation. The effectiveness of this control approach is demonstrated through MATLAB simulations of a four-DC MG cluster, showing improved efficiency in reducing triggering instances and achieving faster current and voltage stabilization under various conditions.