A simple and efficient strategy to modulate the self-assembly and solid-state morphology of conjugated polymers has been developed by incorporating various amounts of amide-containing alkyl side chains to high charge carrier mobility conjugated polymers based on diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP). Synthetically easily accessible and tunable, the incorporation of amide-containing side chains is a direct strategy to promote intermolecular hydrogen bonding between polymer chains and tune the solid-state morphology. Incorporation of 5–30 mol % of amides in the conjugated polymers was performed without a drastic decrease of solubility. The incorporation of hydrogen-bonding moieties allowed for an improvement of the charge carrier mobility in organic field-effect transistors (OFET) devices, which achieved a maximum value of 2.46 cm2/(V s) at 5 mol % of amides. Morphological investigation showed that the intermolecular hydrogen bonds formed between adjacent amide moieties directly affected the lamellar packing of the polymer and aggregation, without affecting the π-conjugation. Therefore, controlled self-assembly of conjugated polymers through hydrogen-bonding side chains is a promising strategy toward more efficient semiconducting polymers for thin film transistors and other organic electronics.

An efficient strategy to modify the mechanical properties of conjugated polymers has been developed through the incorporation of amide moieties.

With the recent development of printable organic electronics and flexible devices, new strategies are developed and investigated to design conjugated semiconducting polymers with innovative properties such as molecular stretchability and self-healing. This review covers the most recent progress in the preparation of these new materials, with a special emphasis on non-covalent dynamic bonding and other key design elements to achieve such properties in conjugated systems. New strategies and recent developments in high performance fully stretchable organic devices are also discussed. In contrast to previously reported review articles on stretchable electronics, this review focuses on the chemistry of the semiconductors and emphasizes the importance of chemical design in conjugated polymers for achieving stretchability and self-healing capabilities.

A side-chain engineering study has been performed with isoindigo-based conjugated polymers to modulate their physical and electronic properties through the incorporation of urea-containing and saturated linear side chains.

The Hirsch Index (h-index) and m-index are often utilized to assess academic productivity and have been widely found to have a positive association with academic promotion and grant selection. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between these indices and academic ranks among Canadian orthopaedic surgery faculty members. MethodsFive hundred and sixty-seven Canadian orthopaedic surgery faculty members associated with residency training programs were included in the study. H-indices of individual faculty members were obtained through Elsevier's Scopus database. Faculty members' year of residency graduation was recorded from their respective licensing body database and was utilized as a surrogate for the start of their academic career to determine career duration and calculate the m-index. Faculty members were divided based on their academic rank (assistant, associate and full professors) and subspecialty. ResultsIncreased h-index, m-index and long career duration were associated with increased academic rank, while gender did not demonstrate an association. Overall, males had a significantly higher h-index compared to females, but no significant difference was observed when comparing the m-index between genders. The m-index varied between subspecialties among senior faculty, but not among junior-ranked faculty. ConclusionBibliometric academic productivity using h-index and m-index is associated with academic ranking among Canadian orthopaedic surgeons at training institutions. Although these indices may provide insight into the academic merits of faculty members, caution must be taken about utilizing it indiscriminately and their limitations must be strongly considered.

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The past decade saw great excitement over cancer immunotherapy, reaching a fever pitch, with the discovery being heralded as a “game changer”.1 In 2013 Science magazine dubbed immunotherapy the “breakthrough of the year”,2 and in 2018 the Nobel prize in physiology and medicine was awarded for contributions to the field.3 Throughout the 2010s unprecedented clinical results were seen with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy,4–6 and the first FDA approvals were obtained for CAR T-cell products,7 oncolytic viruses,8 and checkpoint blockade.9 Despite rapid advances, cancer immunotherapy progress has not been without its hurdles. New toxicities and high costs continue to challenge the field, alongside uncertainties regarding the durability of responses and widespread applicability of these therapies across different tumour types.10,11 Now, at the close of the decade we provide herein a brief overview of the history and current state of immunotherapy, reflecting on whether this treatment modality has truly “changed the game”.

Background: The purpose of this systematic review is to identify whether non-salvage procedures can provide satisfactory and acceptable outcomes in Lichtman stage IV disease. Methods: The MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched for English publications between 1989 and 2019 that reported stage IV-specific primary treatment outcomes. Revisions and skeletally immature patients were excluded. Data extracted were patient demographics, pain scores, range of motion (ROM), grip strength, and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). The results were pooled into 3 categories: conservative management, non-salvage, and salvage procedures. Results: Data from 24 studies (n = 114 patients) were extracted. Compared with conservative management and non-salvage treatment (joint-leveling radial osteotomies, lunate reconstruction), salvage procedures (intercarpal and radiocarpal arthrodesis, proximal row carpectomy, total wrist arthroplasty) showed significantly decreased ROM in flexion-extension arc of motion (89° vs 95° vs 73°, respectively, P = .0001) and no significant differences in grip strength as a percentage of the contralateral side (83% vs 86% vs 79%, respectively, P = .28). All reported treatments provided pain relief, ability to return to previous occupations, and variable PROMs. Conclusions: In young, active, and labor-intensive patients, motion-preserving, non-salvage options may be worth trialing as they do not preclude future salvage options.