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Adding more detailed protocols section #60

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Not finished yet Added a new qmd for the section on protocols and began to flesh out the text. Also added the assets for this new document. Will continue to draft this tomorrow.

*Not finished yet* Added a new qmd for the section on protocols and began to flesh out the text. Also added the assets for this new document. Will continue to draft this tomorrow.
Added additional examples and figures, while writing out the walk through of how the data was moved from text to tables. Still not quite finished as I need to add the final "tying it all together" section.
Final edits for the complete first draft of the protocols documentation, includes adding all the illustrative figures and tables, also updated the yaml to reference the protocols.qmd chapter.

The structure we have adopted also ensures that protocols can be mapped and replicated across different laboratory environments, and that modifications and version differences can be parsimoniously recorded. It can also be recorded such that it can be referenced by measures that all use an identical protocol, or can be used to record unique protocols that depend on external factors or the attributes of a sample.

The protocols structure within the ODM is one of the more complicated aspects of the model, and joins (other approaches)[https://bioprotocols.github.io/labop/] for parsimonious and succinct protocol data storage that are out there. Where the ODM approach is different is that our approach allows you to store protocol data in csv or excel files in the same place as you store all your other surveillance data. Furthermore, there is no need to understand and additional ontologies or write in any additional markup languages, hopefully simplifying the use of our model.
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there is no need to understand [any] additional ontologies


## Suggested minimum Reporting

As mentioned above, we know that protocols can be very complicated, and taking the time to record every detail of a protocol can be time consuming, and potentially tedious. While having such a granular level of data can be rewarding in its own right, establishing minimum standards for what should be reported in a protocol can free up valuable time. Building on the work of (McClary-Gutierrez, et al. 2021)[https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2021/ew/d1ew00235j], we recommend that the minimum protocol information follow what is laid out in the table below (adapted from McClary-Gutierrez, et al., 2021).
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Brackets and parentheses are inverted in the link markup


## Example Protocol: Methods Text to ODM Data - Sample Fractioning

To show how protocol data can be reported in practice, we will use a portion of the methods section from (a paper from the Delatolla Research Group)[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135420310952?via%3Dihub] at the University of Ottawa. This group is among our closest collaborators, and have supported and worked substantially on the ODM.
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Same markup issue here


Lets start by looking at a chunk from the methods section of the paper. This section (Figure B) specifically is talking about different approaches of fractionating wastewater that were tested out while developing their protocol.

![Figure B: Methods Section Breakdown - Fraction](./assets/protocols/Methods-to-methods.png)
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The ellipses make it hard to understand what is being grouped as separate methods. Could you instead use differently-colored highlighting?


![Figure B: Methods Section Breakdown - Fraction](./assets/protocols/Methods-to-methods.png)

You can see in the paragraph, there are actually three protocls being described: one for the solid fraction of the post-grit wastewater sample (PGS), one for the liquid fraction of the PGS, and one for the eluate fraction of the PGS. Now that we have these three protocols separated out, we can start breaking each of them down into their constituent protocol steps.
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three [protocols]


You can see how each of these separate protocols have been broken down into protocol steps in shortened protocol steps tables in Figure C. You can see here that each step is made up of either a method part or a measure part. For measure-type protocol steps, a numeric value is recorded along with the units and aggregations. For method-type protocols, the value is usually categorical for which units and aggregations are not required. Note that each protocol step also has a user-generated unique identifier (`stepID`).

![Figure C: Methods Into Protocol Steps - Fraction](./assets/protocols/methods-to-steps.png)
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  • The arrows on the left could be removed and replace with a text note describing hat the sub-tables contain (i.e., Solid fraction steps, Liquid fraction steps, eluate steps)
  • The relationship arrows need to be read along ith the method/measure, so it would be easier for the reader if the arrows were on the left side
  • Maybe the stepID could be greyed out or italicized since it has no semantic meaning? Otherwise, as a reader, you are tempted to spend a lot of time decoding them even though they don,t really matter for interpreting the table
  • The bracket on top could end closer to the table on the right side.


## Example Protocol: Methods Text to ODM Data - PEG Concentration

Lets continue the above example from the (Delatolla Research Group paper)[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135420310952?via%3Dihub], this time looking at the next part of the protocol: concentrating the sample with Polyethylene Glycol (PEG). First, lets look at the description in the methods section of the paper (Figure G).
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markup

![Figure G: Methods Section Breakdown - PEG](./assets/protocols/PEG_methods.png)
From the text, we can glean that all the described steps fit into one protocol. So we can begin to break the paragraph down into protocol steps, and populate the protocol steps table (Figure H). Again, each step is made up of either a method part or a measure part. The measure-type protocol steps have a recorded numeric value with units and aggregations. The method-type protocols record a categorical value for which units and aggregations are not required. Each protocol step also has a user-generated unique identifier (`stepID`). As with the above example in Figure C, the right side of the tables in Figure H has added coloured vectors connecting rows of the tables with a specified relationship.

![Figure H: Methods Into Protocol Steps - PEG](./assets/protocols/PEG_steps.png)
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Typo in blue arrow label


![Figure H: Methods Into Protocol Steps - PEG](./assets/protocols/PEG_steps.png)

Taking these relationships, as defined in the text, and moving them into a protocol relationships table, we see again that many steps are duplicated across the protocols. Thinking through this protocol, the repeated centrifugation step is recorded somewhat ambiguously, because the same step is used twice but specified differently (Figure I).
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Text sizes vary, possibly to add emphasis? Maybe the repeated labels can be in bold instead


## Example Protocol: Methods Text to ODM Data - RNA Extraction

Continuing with this example from the (Delatolla Research Group paper)[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135420310952?via%3Dihub], we will now look at how the RNA Extraction protocol was described in the methods section of the paper (Figure L).
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markup


## Example Protocol: Methods Text to ODM Data - PCR Quantification

Still using the methods section from the (Delatolla Research Group paper)[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135420310952?via%3Dihub], we will now look at how to record the PCR quantification protocol data. As with the other examples, we will start with the methods section of the paper (Figure N).
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markup

![Figure N: Methods Section Breakdown - PCR Quantification](./assets/protocols/quantification_methods.png)
The text describes a single protocol for all samples, however it's clear that the process is quite complicated and will likely need sub-protocols. We can start by breaking this section down into protocol steps and populating the protocol steps table (Figure O).

![Figure O: Methods Into Protocol Steps - PCR Quantification](./assets/protocols/quantification_steps.png)
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  • The ends of the arrows around "Primer mix protocol" are a bit wonky.
  • Great job breaking down such a complex protocol! Glad to see that the structure seems to hold up.
  • The Primer mix protocol specifies the PCR method and is before the PCR Thermocycling protocol. But doesn't the PCR thermocycling protocol also specify the PCR method?
  • There are a lot of arrows, and they don't all represent the same thing. To lighten the visual burden, could this figure be broken down into 2? One with only the relationships between steps, and another with the step groups (sub-protocols)?


![Figure R: Delatolla Group Protocol Flowchart](./assets/protocols/master_methods.png)

Each pictured part of this flowchart has already been added as an ODM protocol in the above examples, but not we can try to tie them all together at the top level. The steps and protocols have already been generated, so we can go right to the protocol relationships table in Figure S where the processes from Figure R are summarized in the ODM format.
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not now


## Example Protocol: Methods Text to ODM Data - Tying it all Together

the previous examples have pulled together ODM protocol data from various pieces of the methods section of a paper. For measures of viral presence in wastewater, however, all of these steps are used to arrive at the final reported result. Let's examine the flow chart diagram from the same (Delatolla Research Group paper)[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135420310952?via%3Dihub] in Figure R.
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markup


The complete flow chart for all this data can also be found below in Figure U.

![Figure U: Methods, Protocols, Protocol Steps, and Relationships - Complete](./assets/protocols/Protocols_Breakdown.png)
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Maybe add a note to make sure the reader too intimidated by the final figure.

  • Maybe note that the level of detail one chooses to record is at the discretion of the user
  • maybe add a version of the same protocol that only has high-level details (i.e., only Figure U, but with more info in the summary)

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I am done with my review - awesome work! I think all the required bits of information are there and the examples are very well laid out. With a few clarity edits on the figures, I think this would be complete :)

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Thanks, JD! Will go through and fix this up more concretely once I'm back.

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