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  • Baun Pollard posted an update 11 hours, 18 minutes ago

    Flexible organic photovoltaics (OPVs) are promising power sources for wearable electronics. However, it is challenging to simultaneously achieve high efficiency as well as good stability under various stresses. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of highly efficient (efficiency, 13.2%) and stable OPVs based on nonfullerene blends by a single-step postannealing treatment. The device performance decreases dramatically after annealing at 90 °C and is fully recovered after annealing at 150 °C. Glass-encapsulated annealed OPVs show good environmental stability with 4.8% loss in efficiency after 4,736 h and an estimated T 80 lifetime (80% of the initial power conversion efficiency) of over 20,750 h in the dark under ambient condition and T 80 lifetime of 1,050 h at 85 °C and 30% relative humidity. This environmental stability is enabled by the synergetic effect of the stable morphology of donor/acceptor blends and thermally stabilized interfaces due to doping. Furthermore, the high efficiency and good stability are almost 100% retained in ultraflexible OPVs and minimodules which are mechanically robust and have long-term operation capability and thus are promising for future self-powered and wearable electronics.Inefficient physiological transitions are known to cause metabolic disorders. Therefore, investigating mechanisms that constitute molecular switches in a central metabolic organ like the liver becomes crucial. Specifically, upstream mechanisms that control temporal engagement of transcription factors, which are essential to mediate physiological fed-fast-refed transitions are less understood. SIRT1, a NAD+-dependent deacetylase, is pivotal in regulating hepatic gene expression and has emerged as a key therapeutic target. Despite this, if/how nutrient inputs regulate SIRT1 interactions, stability, and therefore downstream functions are still unknown. Here, we establish nutrient-dependent O-GlcNAcylation of SIRT1, within its N-terminal domain, as a crucial determinant of hepatic functions. Our findings demonstrate that during a fasted-to-refed transition, glycosylation of SIRT1 modulates its interactions with various transcription factors and a nodal cytosolic kinase involved in insulin signaling. Moreover, sustained glycosylation in the fed state causes nuclear exclusion and cytosolic ubiquitin-mediated degradation of SIRT1. This mechanism exerts spatiotemporal control over SIRT1 functions by constituting a previously unknown molecular relay. Of note, loss of SIRT1 glycosylation discomposed these interactions resulting in aberrant gene expression, mitochondrial dysfunctions, and enhanced hepatic gluconeogenesis. Expression of nonglycosylatable SIRT1 in the liver abrogated metabolic flexibility, resulting in systemic insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and hepatic inflammation, highlighting the physiological costs associated with its overactivation. Conversely, our study also reveals that hyperglycosylation of SIRT1 is associated with aging and high-fat-induced obesity. Thus, we establish that nutrient-dependent glycosylation of SIRT1 is essential to gate its functions and maintain physiological fitness.BACKGROUND Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) are among the most commonly used medical devices in hospital. This study sought to determine the appropriateness of inpatient PICC use in general medicine at five academic hospitals in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, based on the Michigan Appropriateness Guide for Intravenous Catheters (MAGIC). METHODS This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study of general internal medicine patients discharged between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2015 who received a PICC during hospitalisation. The primary outcomes were the proportions of appropriate and inappropriate inpatient PICC use based on MAGIC recommendations. Hospital administrative data and electronic clinical data were used to determine appropriateness of each PICC placement. Multivariable regression models were fit to explore patient predictors of inappropriate use. selleck inhibitor RESULTS Among 3479 PICC placements, 1848 (53%, 95% CI 51% to 55%) were appropriate, 573 (16%, 95% CI 15% to 18%) were inappropriate and 1058 (30%, 9tunities to improve care. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.BACKGROUND Human auditing has been the gold standard for evaluating hand hygiene (HH) compliance but is subject to the Hawthorne effect (HE), the change in subjects’ behaviour due to their awareness of being observed. For the first time, we used electronic HH monitoring to characterise the duration of the HE on HH events after human auditors have left the ward. METHODS Observations were prospectively conducted on two transplant wards at a tertiary centre between May 2018 and January 2019. HH events were measured using the electronic GOJO Smartlink Activity Monitoring System located throughout the ward. Non-covert human auditing was conducted in 1-hour intervals at random locations on both wards on varying days of the week. Two adjusted negative binomial regression models were fit in order to estimate an overall auditor effect and a graded auditor effect. RESULTS In total, 365 674 HH dispensing events were observed out of a possible 911 791 opportunities. In the adjusted model, the presence of an auditor increased electronic HH events by approximately 2.5-fold in the room closest to where the auditor was standing (9.86 events per hour/3.98 events per hour; p less then 0.01), an effect sustained across only the partial hour before and after the auditor was present but not beyond the first hour after the auditor left. This effect persisted but was attenuated in areas distal from the auditor (total ward events of 6.91*6.32-7.55, p less then 0.01). Additionally, there was significant variability in the magnitude of the HE based on temporal and geographic distribution of audits. CONCLUSION The HE on HH events appears to last for a limited time on inpatient wards and is highly dynamic across time and auditor location. These findings further challenge the validity and value of human auditing and support the need for alternative and complementary monitoring methods. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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