Parallel Protocol Research Articles

Automation of multiplex biochemical assays to enhance productivity and reduce cycle time using a modular robotic platform

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are increasingly being challenged to shorten the cycle time between design, make, test, and analyze (DMTA) compounds. Automation of multiplex assays to obtain multiparameter data on the same robotic run is instrumental in reducing cycle time. Consequently, an increasing need in automated systems to streamline laboratory workflows with the goal to expedite assay cycle time and enhance productivity has grown in industrial and academic institutions in the past decades. Herein, we present a customized robotic platform with operational modularity and flexibility, designed to automate entire assay workflows involving multistep reagent dispensing, mixing, lidding/de-lidding, incubation, centrifugation, and final readout steps by linking spinnaker robot with various peripheral instruments. Compared to manual workflows, the system can seamlessly execute processes with high efficiency, evaluated by standard assay validation protocols for robustness and reproducibility. Furthermore, the system can perform multiple, independent protocols in parallel, and has high-throughput capacity. In this publication, we demonstrate that the modular robotic platform can fully automate multiplex assay workflows through ‘one-click-and-run’ solution with tremendous benefits in liberating manual intervention, boosting productivity while producing high-quality data combined with reduced cycle time (>20%), as well as expanding the capacity for higher throughput.

Study to Evaluate the Comparative Efficacy of Medhya Rasayana (Pharmacological) Versus Nonpharmacological Interventions in Management of Gadget Addiction in Children: Protocol for Parallel, Triple-Arm, Randomized Clinical Trial.

Gadget addiction is a common behavioral problem among children. It is known to hamper social and academic life as well as adversely affect the lives of children. Ayurveda offers many therapeutic modalities and Ayurvedic medicines that can be used in the management of gadget addiction in children. The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of nonpharmacological therapies and the pharmaceutical intervention Medhya Rasayana in treating childhood gadget addiction. This study aims to provide a detailed description of the study methodology that will be used to compare the efficacy of nonpharmacological versus pharmaceutical interventions in the treatment of children's gadget addiction. A randomized, parallel, triple-arm interventional study will be conducted on diagnosed participants of gadget addiction with an age group of 6- to 16-year-old children, which will be selected and equally distributed in 2 groups. Group P will be given Medhya Rasayana (pharmacological intervention), group N will be nonpharmacological Ayurveda intervention, and group C (cognitive behavioral therapy) will be an external group. The Study duration is 180 days with assessment at baseline, midpoint, and endpoint Appropriate statistical techniques, such as ANOVA and regression analysis, will be used to examine the data and evaluate the efficacy of the 3 groups' interventions. We will perform subgroup analysis according to initial addiction severity, gender, and age. Primary outcome measures include a reduction in gadget addiction and changes in the psychosocial well-being of participants. Standardized questionnaires and instruments will be used to collect data. In December 2023, the randomized controlled study got underway. Since participants may begin at any time, our goal is for everyone to be finished by December 2024. This research will provide crucial new information about the relative effectiveness of Ayurveda nonpharmacological therapies and Medhya Rasayana in treating children's gadget addiction. The results will guide evidence-based treatments aimed at reducing the negative impact of excessive gadget use on this susceptible population's psychosocial development. In the end, the findings are meant to help policy makers and medical professionals create sensible plans to deal with the rising issue of childhood gadget addiction. PRR1-10.2196/51833.

Short insemination during conventional in vitro fertilization increases embryo quality.

To compare clinical outcomes using short and long co-incubation protocols in sibling oocytes based on embryo morphokinetic outcomes measured by time-lapse incubator with stratification based on a woman's age and sperm quality. Our study included 72 cycles with>6 oocytes retrieved. Sibling oocytes were distributed for two parallel protocols: short (3h; n=421) or long (16-20h; n=434) insemination, using the same amount of spermatozoa from the same prepared sample. Oocytes were then washed and incubated for 5 days. Time-lapse annotations of embryos were performed by experienced embryologists and artificial intelligence-based Known Implantation Data scores for day 3 and day 5 were calculated with EmbryoScope software. Short-insemination group exhibited a higher blastulation rate, better morphokinetic indicators, and higher Known Implantation Data scores on day 3 and day 5 of the utilized embryos. However, the fertilization rate and clinical pregnancy rate per embryo transfer did not differ between experimental groups. A higher rate of abnormal fertilization (>2 pronuclei) after long insemination was recorded in women under 35 years old or with a total motile sperm count above 5 million and above 40% motility after preparation. A higher rate of usable embryos was observed after short insemination with a total motile sperm count above 30 million before preparation or 5 million and over 40% motility after preparation. Our results suggest that a short insemination protocol results in better embryo quality and should be considered as a favorable protocol, especially in young female patients or male patients with high sperm quality.

Fast and Economic Microarray-Based Detection of Species-, Resistance-, and Virulence-Associated Genes in Clinical Strains of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)

Today, there is a continuous worldwide battle against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and that includes vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Methods that can adequately and quickly detect transmission chains in outbreaks are needed to trace and manage this problem fast and cost-effectively. In this study, DNA-microarray-based technology was developed for this purpose. It commenced with the bioinformatic design of specific oligonucleotide sequences to obtain amplification primers and hybridization probes. Microarrays were manufactured using these synthesized oligonucleotides. A highly parallel and stringent labeling and hybridization protocol was developed and employed using isolated genomic DNA from previously sequenced (referenced) clinical VRE strains for optimal sensitivity and specificity. Microarray results showed the detection of virulence, resistance, and species-specific genes in the VRE strains. Theoretical predictions of the microarray results were also derived from the sequences of the same VRE strain and were compared to array results while optimizing protocols until the microarray result and theoretical predictions were a match. The study concludes that DNA microarray technology can be used to quickly, accurately, and economically detect specifically and massively parallel target genes in enterococci.

Nucleos(t)ide analogs to treat patients with positive hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid and normal alanine transaminase: protocol for an open-label single-center randomized parallel controlled trial

BackgroundDirect high-quality evidence remains absent on the benefits of HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients (CHB) with normal alanine transaminase (ALT) and positive HBV DNA after nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) treatment.MethodsThis is a single-center, open-label, randomized parallel controlled trial with a follow-up duration of 96 weeks. An estimated 300 patients will be recruited at West China Hospital of Sichuan University, China. After stratified by serum HBV DNA (< 2000 vs. ≥ 2000 IU/ml), eligible patients will be randomized (allocation ratio 1:1) to receive either antiviral therapy (the treatment group) or regular examination alone (the control group). The primary outcomes are rates of virological response and changes in the levels of serum HBV pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) and scores of health-related qualities of life.DiscussionThis randomized controlled trial focuses on HBeAg-negative patients with normal ALT, including those of the inactive carrier phase and the grey zone, whose antiviral treatment remains controversial. Additionally, a health-related quality of life scale is introduced to comprehensively estimate the benefit of antiviral treatment apart from virological response and adverse liver events. Meaningfully, the study findings will provide high-quality and direct evidence for optimal clinical management in such populations.Trial registrationThis trial was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2300069391) on 15 March 2023.Graphical

Community Collaboration to Advance Racial/Ethnic Equity in Colorectal Cancer Screening: Protocol for a Multilevel Intervention to Improve Screening and Follow-up in Community Health Centers

IntroductionColorectal cancer (CRC) screening utilization is low among low-income, uninsured, and minority populations that receive care in community health centers (CHCs). There is a need for evidence-based interventions to increase screening and follow-up care in these settings. MethodsA multilevel, multi-component pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial is being conducted at 8 CHCs in two metropolitan areas (Boston and Los Angeles), with two arms: (1) Mailed FIT outreach with text reminders, and (2) Mailed FIT-DNA with patient support. We also include an additional CHC in Rapid City (South Dakota) that follows a parallel protocol for FIT-DNA but is not randomized due to lack of a comparison group. Eligible individuals in participating clinics are primary care patients ages 45–75, at average-risk for CRC, and overdue for CRC screening. Participants with abnormal screening results are offered navigation for follow-up colonoscopy and CRC risk assessment. ResultsThe primary outcome is the completion rate of CRC screening at 90 days. Secondary outcomes include the screening completion rate at 180 days and the rate of colonoscopy completion within 6 months among participants with an abnormal result. Additional goals are to enhance our understanding of facilitators and barriers to CRC risk assessment in CHC settings. ConclusionsThis study assesses the effectiveness of two multilevel interventions to increase screening participation and follow-up after abnormal screening in under-resourced clinical settings, informing future efforts to address CRC disparities. Trial RegistrationNCT05714644

Implementation and evaluation of the centering pregnancy group prenatal care model in pregnant women with diabetes: a convergent parallel mixed methods study protocol

BackgroundDiabetes during pregnancy has negative effects on both mothers and their fetuses. To improve perinatal outcomes and women’s experience of care, the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests implementing health system interventions to enhance the use and quality of antenatal care. The main goal of this study is to implement and evaluate the outcomes of the Centering Pregnancy group care model for pregnant women with diabetes.Methods/designThe study will consist of three phases: a quantitative phase, a qualitative phase, and a mixed phase. In the quantitative phase, a randomized controlled trial will be conducted on 100 pregnant women with diabetes receiving prenatal care in Tabriz City, Iran. The Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) questionnaire will also be validated in this phase. The qualitative phase will use qualitative content analysis with in-depth and semi-structured individual interviews to explore pregnant women’s understanding of the impact of the Centering Pregnancy group care model on their care process. The mixed phase will focus on the degree and extent of convergence between quantitative and qualitative data.DiscussionThe implementation of the Centering Pregnancy group care approach is anticipated to empower women in effectively managing their diabetes during pregnancy, resulting in improved outcomes for both mothers and newborns. Furthermore, adopting this approach has the potential to alleviate the financial burden of diabetes on healthcare system.Trial registrationIranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT): (IRCT20120718010324N80/ Date of registration: 2024-01-03). URL: https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/trial/74206.

Understanding the impacts of networks and parallel redundancy protocol for process bus applications

Understanding the impacts of networks and parallel redundancy protocol for process bus applications

Promoting electricity conservation through behavior change: A study protocol for a web-based multiple-arm parallel randomized controlled trial.

As a part of the framework of the EU-funded Energy efficiency through Behavior CHANge Transition (ENCHANT) project, the present paper intends to provide a "Research Protocol" of a web-based trial to: (i) assess the effectiveness of behavioral intervention strategies--either single or in combination--on electricity saving, and (ii) unravel the psychological factors contributing to intervention effectiveness in households across Europe. Six distinct interventions (i.e., information provision, collective vs. individual message framing, social norms, consumption feedback, competitive elements, and commitment strategies) targeting electricity saving in households from six European countries (i.e., Austria, Germany, Italy, Norway, Romania, and Türkiye) are evaluated, with an initial expected samples of about 1500 households per country randomly assigned to 12 intervention groups and two control groups, and data is collected through an ad-hoc online platform. The primary outcome is the weekly electricity consumption normalized to the last seven days before measurement per person per household. Secondary outcomes are the peak consumption during the last day before measurement and the self-reported implementation of electricity saving behaviors (e.g., deicing the refrigerator). The underlying psychological factors expected to mediate and/or moderate the intervention effects on these outcomes are intentions to save electricity, perceived difficulty of saving energy, attitudes to electricity saving, electricity saving habit strength, social norms to save electricity, personal norms, collective efficacy, emotional reaction to electricity consumption, and national identity. The intervention effectiveness will be evaluated by comparing psychological factors and consumption variables before and after the intervention, leading to a 14 (groups including 2 control groups) × 6 (time) mixed factorial design, with one factor between (group) and one factor within subjects (time)-6 measurements of the psychological factors and 6 readings of the electricity meters, which gives then 5 weeks of electricity consumption. Data collection for the present RCT started in January 2023, and by October 2023 data collection will conclude. Upon establishing feasibility and effectiveness, the outcomes of this study will assist policymakers, municipalities, NGOs, and other communal entities in identifying impactful interventions tailored to their unique circumstances and available resources. Researchers will benefit from a flexible, structured tool that allows the design, implementation and monitoring of complex interventions protocols. Crucially, the intervention participants will benefit from electricity saving strategies, fostering immediate effectiveness of the interventions in real-life contexts. This trial was preregistered in the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/9vtn4.

Robot-assisted partial knee replacement versus standard total knee replacement (RoboKnees): a protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial

BackgroundTotal knee arthroplasty is a common surgery for end-stage knee osteoarthritis. Partial knee arthroplasty is also a treatment option for patients with arthritis present in only one or two knee compartments. Partial knee arthroplasty can preserve the natural knee biomechanics, but these replacements may not last as long as total knee replacements. Robotic-assisted orthopedic techniques can help facilitate partial knee replacements, increasing accuracy and precision. This trial will investigate the feasibility and assess clinical outcomes for a larger definitive trial.MethodsThis is a protocol for an ongoing parallel randomized pilot trial of 64 patients with uni- or bicompartmental knee arthritis. Patients are randomized to either receive robot-assisted partial knee arthroplasty or manual total knee arthroplasty. The primary outcome of this pilot is investigating the feasibility of a larger trial. Secondary (clinical) outcomes include joint awareness, return to activities, knee function, patient global impression of change, persistent post-surgical pain, re-operations, resource utilization and cost-effectiveness, health-related quality of life, radiographic alignment, knee kinematics during walking gait, and complications up to 24 months post-surgery.DiscussionThe RoboKnees pilot study is the first step in determining the outcome of robot-assisted partial knee replacements. Conclusions from this study will be used to design future large-scale trials. This study will inform surgeons about the potential benefits of robot-assisted partial knee replacements.Trial registrationThis study was prospectively registered on clinicaltrials.gov (identifier: NCT04378049) on 4 May 2020, before the first patient was randomized.

Parallel Paired Photoelectrochemical Bromination of Alkylarenes with Electrochemical Pinacol Coupling.

A paired electrochemical method for paralleling benzylic bromination of alkylarenes under irradiation with reductive pinacol coupling in a divided cell has been developed. A variety of benzyl bromides at the anode and pinacols at the cathode were obtained simultaneously in moderate-to-high faradaic efficiency. This parallel paired electrochemical protocol showed a broad substrate scope and high chemoselectivity as well as high synthetic and faradaic efficiencies.

The feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of cognitive resilience training among college students with mental health symptoms: A parallel group-randomized trial protocol

The feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of cognitive resilience training among college students with mental health symptoms: A parallel group-randomized trial protocol

Privacy-preserving trust management method based on blockchain for cross-domain industrial IoT

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) contains many devices from different autonomous domains (e.g., factories), which need to cooperate to complete complex manufacturing process. Devices from different domains collaborate with each other, which greatly raises trust concerns about device-to-device interactions. Existing trust management approaches may result in the risk of privacy leakage and low accuracy of trust evaluation. Thus, trust issues during interaction remain unsolved but imperative. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based privacy-preserving trust management architecture PPTMA. Specifically, PPTMA adopts federated learning to train a task-specific trust model for different collaborative task. Our work is the first attempt to research the relationship between the weight calculation of trust metric and the change of context in the field of trust management. To preserve the privacy of devices, differential privacy (DP) is exploited during the trust evaluation process. In addition, a game theory-based incentive mechanism is proposed to encourage the IIOT device for actively and honestly submitting the trust data into the blockchain as so to promote the accuracy of trust computing. Finally, we also design a parallel consensus protocol (OPBFT) which realizes an assembly line to speed up the efficiency of the consensus process. The idea of consensus assembly line firstly proposed by us brings new opportunities for improving the consensus efficiency. Extensive experiments have been conducted to show the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.

Low consumption automatic discovery protocol for DDS-based large-scale distributed parallel computing

DDS (Data Distribution Service) is an efficient communication specification for distributed parallel computing. However, as the scale of computation expands, high network load and memory consumption consistently limit its performance. This paper proposes a low consumption automatic discovery protocol to improve DDS in large-scale distributed parallel computing. Firstly, an improved Bloom Filter called TBF (Threshold Bloom Filter) is presented to compress the data topic. Then it is combined with the SDP(Simple Discovery Protocol) to reduce the consumption of the automatic discovery process in DDS. On this basis, data publication and subscription between the distributed computing nodes are matched using binarization threshold θ and decision threshold T , which can be obtained through iterative optimization algorithms. Experiment results show that the SDPTBF can guarantee higher transmission accuracy while reducing network load and memory consumption, and therefore improve the performance of DDS-based large-scale distributed parallel computing.

Content or context? A study protocol for a three-arm parallel randomised controlled trial of Re-PROGRAM, a brief internet-based intervention for patients with functional seizures

IntroductionFunctional seizures (FS) mimic epilepsy but are not caused by epileptic electrical activity in the brain and are believed to have a psychological origin. There is a well-documented gap between...

Multiusers parallel competitive channel protocol based on unsaturated service

In order to enhance the area throughput of next generation wireless local area network (WLAN) in high density scenarios, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) has been adopted as one of the key technologies in the next generation WLAN communication standards. However, the performance of the existing media access control (MAC) degrades significantly under unsaturated services. Therefore, this paper proposes a multi-user parallel contention channel MAC (MU-MAC) based on unsaturated services, which can effectively reduce the channel access conflict and improve the OFDMA access efficiency of cluster member nodes. On this basis, MU-MAC is enhanced for the spatial clustering group (SCG) formation protocol and support for the unsaturated service characteristics. Further, the optimal access radius when the service is in a non-saturated state is analyzed to make the relevant theoretical analysis more generally, and the expressions for the throughput and area throughput of the proposed protocol are modeled and derived. The simulation results verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis and the efficiency of the protocol performance. The results show that MU-MAC outperforms IEEE 802.11ax and OMAX protocol in area throughput by 40.72% and 104.15%, respectively.

Study protocol: value of 7-T MRI with prospective motion correction and postprocessing for patients with nonlesional epilepsy

AbstractThe diagnostic yield of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) postprocessing using 7‑T data for patients with nonlesional epilepsy has been rarely evaluated, but has shown acceptable diagnostic outcomes. However, to date there have been no prospective clinical studies comparing MP2RAGE sequences in 3‑T and 7‑T MRI in parallel using the same protocol for morphometric analysis. We present a study protocol developed to address the hypothesis that application of 7‑T structural MRI increases the rate of detection of structural lesions with morphometric analysis when compared with parallel coherent study protocols in 3‑T MRI. The 7‑T MRI study protocol is designed to supply data showing the clinical practicability and proof of principle for increasing the detection rate of subtle epileptogenic lesions.

Impact of enzymatic digestion on single cell suspension yield from peripheral human lung tissue.

An increasing number of translational investigations of lung biology rely on analyzing single cell suspensions obtained from human lungs. To obtain these single cell suspensions, human lungs from biopsies or research-consented organ donors must be subjected to mechanical and enzymatic digestion prior to analysis with either flow cytometry or single cell RNA sequencing. A variety of enzymes have been used to perform tissue digestion, each with potential limitations. To better understand the limitations of each enzymatic digestion protocol and to establish a framework for comparing studies across protocols, we performed five commonly published protocols in parallel from identical samples obtained from 6 human lungs. Following mechanical (gentleMACS™) and enzymatic digestion, we quantified cell count and viability using a Nexcelom Cellometer and determined cell phenotype using multiparameter spectral flow cytometry (Cytek™ Aurora). We found that all protocols were superior in cellular yield and viability when compared to mechanical digestion alone. Protocols high in dispase cleaved immune markers CD4, CD8, CD69, and CD103 and contributed to an increased monocyte to macrophage yield. Similarly, dispase led to a differential epithelial cell yield, with increased TSPN8+ and ITGA6+ epithelial cells and reduced CD66e+ cells. When compared to collagenase D, collagenase P protocols yielded increased AT1 and AT2 cells and decreased endothelial cells. These results provide a framework for selecting an enzymatic digestion protocol best suited to the scientific question and allow for comparison of studies using different protocols.

Composably secure device-independent encryption with certified deletion

We study the task of encryption with certified deletion (ECD) introduced by Broadbent and Islam (2020), but in a device-independent setting: we show that it is possible to achieve this task even when the honest parties do not trust their quantum devices. Moreover, we define security for the ECD task in a composable manner and show that our ECD protocol satisfies conditions that lead to composable security. Our protocol is based on device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD), and in particular the parallel DIQKD protocol based on the magic square non-local game, given by Jain, Miller and Shi (2020). To achieve certified deletion, we use a property of the magic square game observed by Fu and Miller (2018), namely that a two-round variant of the game can be used to certify deletion of a single random bit. In order to achieve certified deletion security for arbitrarily long messages from this property, we prove a parallel repetition theorem for two-round non-local games, which may be of independent interest.

A Parallel Algorithm to Accelerate DEVS Simulations in Shared Memory Architectures

We propose a new algorithm for the execution of Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) simulations on parallel shared memory architectures. Our approach executes parallel discrete-event simulations by executing all tasks in the PDEVS simulation protocol in parallel. The algorithm works by distributing the computations among different cores on shared memory architectures. To show the benefits of our algorithm, we present the results of a set of experiments using a synthetic benchmark and a real-world scenario using two independent computer architectures. The results obtained show how our algorithm accelerates simulations up to eight times, improving previous approaches. In addition, we show that our approach scales when we increase the number of CPU-cores used.