Data monitoring roadmap. The experience of the Italian Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders Register

Introduction Over the years, disease registers have been increasingly considered a source of reliable and valuable population studies. However, the validity and reliability of data from registers may be limited by missing data, selection bias or data quality not adequately evaluated or checked.This study reports the analysis of the consistency and completeness of the data in the Italian Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders Register.MethodsThe Register collects, through a standardized Web-based Application, unique patients.Data are exported bimonthly and evaluated to assess the updating and completeness, and to check the quality and consistency. Eight clinical indicators are evaluated.ResultsThe Register counts 77,628 patients registered by 126 centres. The number of centres has increased over time, as their capacity to collect patients.The percentages of updated patients (with at least one visit in the last 24 months) have increased from 33% (enrolment period 2000-2015) to 60% (enrolment period 2016-2022). In the cohort of patients registered after 2016, there were >= 75% updated patients in 30% of the small centres (33), in 9% of the medium centres (11), and in all the large centres (2).Clinical indicators show significant improvement for the active patients, expanded disability status scale every 6 months or once every 12 months, visits every 6 months, first visit within 1 year and MRI every 12 months.ConclusionsData from disease registers provide guidance for evidence-based health policies and research, so methods and strategies ensuring their quality and reliability are crucial and have several potential applications

Reversible Lectin Binding to Glycan-Functionalized Graphene

The monolayer character of two-dimensional materials predestines them for application as active layers of sensors. However, their inherent high sensitivity is always accompanied by a low selectivity. Chemical functionalization of two-dimensional materials has emerged as a promising way to overcome the selectivity issues. Here, we demonstrate efficient graphene functionalization with carbohydrate ligands—chitooligomers, which bind proteins of the lectin family with high selectivity. Successful grafting of a chitooligomer library was thoroughly characterized, and glycan binding to wheat germ agglutinin was studied by a series of methods. The results demonstrate that the protein quaternary structure remains intact after binding to the functionalized graphene, and that the lectin can be liberated from the surface by the addition of a binding competitor. The chemoenzymatic assay with a horseradish peroxidase conjugate also confirmed the intact catalytic properties of the enzyme. The present approach thus paves the way towards graphene-based sensors for carbohydrate–lectin binding

Selective self-assembly and light emission tuning of layered hybrid perovskites on patterned graphene

The emission of light in two-dimensional (2-D) layered hybrid organic lead halide perovskites, namely (R-NH3)2PbX4, can be effectively tuned using specific building blocks for the perovskite formation. Herein this behaviour is combined with a non-covalent graphene functionalization allowing excellent selectivity and spatial resolution of the perovskite film growth, promoting the formation of hybrid 2-D perovskite : graphene heterostructures with uniform coverage of up to centimeter scale graphene sheets and arbitrary shapes down to 5 μm. Using cryo-Raman microspectroscopy, highly resolved spectra of the perovskite phases were obtained and the Raman mapping served as a convenient spatially resolved technique for monitoring the distribution of the perovskite and graphene constituents on the substrate. In addition, the stability of the perovskite phase with respect to the thermal variation was inspected in situ by X-ray diffraction. Finally, time-resolved photoluminescence characterization demonstrated that the optical properties of the perovskite films grown on graphene are not hampered. Our study thus opens the door to smart fabrication routes for (opto)-electronic devices based on 2-D perovskites in contact with graphene with complex architectures

Ochrana a podminky chovu psu v utulcich.

Protection, welfare and control of pet animals, including stray animals, represent at present due to the increasing number of these animals a very important problem. To examine this problem it is necessary to pay attention to the objectivity of information on the number of population, including its dynamics. The paper presented here is based on analyses carried out in 7 shelters in the Czech republic for stray and abandoned dogs. The time dynamics of animals incoming and outgoing in 3 shelters is described in the first part of the study. Also, the relative frequency of outgoing animals divided into three categories according to the following criteria has been found: their return to the owner, adoption, death and euthanasia. The average percentage of dogs returned to the owners ranged from 14,71 to 33,71% and of adopted ones between 63,65 to 80,45%. The average percentage of dying and euthanatised animals differed from 2,72 to 6,10%. The highest income of dogs was found to be in August, April and December. Over a year, the dynamids was very variable and thus the hypothesis that the highest income of dogs occurs after Christmas and at the end of summer holidays could not be proved.Available from STL Prague, CZ / NTK - National Technical LibrarySIGLECZCzech Republi

Dynamic covalent conjugated polymer epitaxy on graphene

International audienceHybrid heterostructures formed from ordered molecular layers on two-dimensional materials can have unique properties differing from those of their bulk phases. By employing principles of dynamic covalent chemistry, we have synthesized a series of novel conjugated polyimines that form epitaxial ordered monolayers on graphene. The interplay between molecular physisorption and dynamic polymerization at the solid–liquid interface drives the formation of longer chains at the surface with dramatically higher rates than in solution. The physico-chemical properties of such assemblies at different length scales on graphene were investigated by a combination of experimental techniques. ‘Covalent dynamic epitaxy’ was also found to modulate the properties of both substrate and dynamers such as doping and photoluminescence, respectively

Elusive Presence of Chloride in Mixed Halide Perovskite Solar Cells

The role of chloride in the MAPbI(3_x)Cl(x) perovskite is still limitedly understood, albeit subjected of much debate. Here, we present a combined angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS) and first-principles DFT modeling to investigate the MAPbI(3-x)Cl(x)/TiO2 interface. AR-XPS analyses carried out on ad hoc designed bilayers of MAPbI(3-x)Cl(x) perovskite deposited onto a flat TiO2 substrate reveal that the chloride is preferentially located in close proximity to the perovskite/TiO2 interface. DFT calculations indicate the preferential location of chloride at the TiO2 interface compared to the bulk perovskite due to an increased chloride TiO2 surface affinity. Furthermore, our calculations clearly demonstrate an interfacial chloride-induced band bending, creating a directional "electron funnel" that may improve the charge collection efficiency of the device and possibly affecting also recombination pathways. Our findings represent a step forward to the rationalization of the peculiar properties of mixed halide perovskite, allowing one to further address material and device design issues

Elusive Presence of Chloride in Mixed Halide Perovskite Solar Cells

The role of chloride in the MAPbI(3_x)Cl(x) perovskite is still limitedly understood, albeit subjected of much debate. Here, we present a combined angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS) and first-principles DFT modeling to investigate the MAPbI(3-x)Cl(x)/TiO2 interface. AR-XPS analyses carried out on ad hoc designed bilayers of MAPbI(3-x)Cl(x) perovskite deposited onto a flat TiO2 substrate reveal that the chloride is preferentially located in close proximity to the perovskite/TiO2 interface. DFT calculations indicate the preferential location of chloride at the TiO2 interface compared to the bulk perovskite due to an increased chloride TiO2 surface affinity. Furthermore, our calculations clearly demonstrate an interfacial chloride-induced band bending, creating a directional "electron funnel" that may improve the charge collection efficiency of the device and possibly affecting also recombination pathways. Our findings represent a step forward to the rationalization of the peculiar properties of mixed halide perovskite, allowing one to further address material and device design issues

Elusive Presence of Chloride in Mixed Halide Perovskite Solar Cells

The role of chloride in the MAPbI_3–<i>x</i>Cl_<i>x</i> perovskite is still limitedly understood, albeit subjected of much debate. Here, we present a combined angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS) and first-principles DFT modeling to investigate the MAPbI_3–<i>x</i>Cl_<i>x</i>/TiO₂ interface. AR-XPS analyses carried out on ad hoc designed bilayers of MAPbI_3–<i>x</i>Cl_<i>x</i> perovskite deposited onto a flat TiO₂ substrate reveal that the chloride is preferentially located in close proximity to the perovskite/TiO₂ interface. DFT calculations indicate the preferential location of chloride at the TiO₂ interface compared to the bulk perovskite due to an increased chloride–TiO₂ surface affinity. Furthermore, our calculations clearly demonstrate an interfacial chloride-induced band bending, creating a directional “electron funnel” that may improve the charge collection efficiency of the device and possibly affecting also recombination pathways. Our findings represent a step forward to the rationalization of the peculiar properties of mixed halide perovskite, allowing one to further address material and device design issues