Supramolecular chirality in self-organised systems and thin films.

Gabriele Giancane, Simona Bettini and Ludovico Valli introduce the themed collection on Supramolecular chirality in self-organised systems and thin films.

Chirality induction to porphyrin derivatives co-confined at the air-water interface with silica nano-helices: towards enantioselective thin solid film surfaces.

A supramolecular approach based on self-assembled structures allows the formation of large structured co-assemblies based on chiral and achiral compounds with original physicochemical features. In this contribution, an achiral and hydrophobic porphyrin was co-assembled at the air-water interface with mesoscopic silica nano-helices dispersed in the water subphase of a Langmuir trough without covalent bond formation. This procedure allowed transferring the porphyrin/nano-helix co-assemblies on a solid support within a thin hybrid layer.

Assessment of professional empowerment among midwives in selected LAC: A multisite descriptive study.

Objective: to identify the perception of professional empowerment among midwives in selected Latin American countries (LA). Specifically, this study aimed to compare i) the global level of empowerment among midwives in different LA countries, ii) the scores according to the different dimensions of the scale, and iii) scores according to area the of expertise.

Design: A quantitative, observational, analytical, cross-sectional and multisite study using an adaptation of the Perceptions Midwifery Empowerment Scale (PEMS).

Serum D-Lactate Concentrations in Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

The D-enantiomer of lactic acid (D-lactate) is normally produced from bacterial fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract in mammals. In humans, increased D-lactate concentrations are related to gastrointestinal disease, including short bowel syndrome and malabsorptive syndrome. Similarly, increased D-lactate concentrations have been described in calves affected by diarrhea, in cats with gastrointestinal diseases, and in dogs with parvoviral enteritis.

A simple strategy based on ATR-FTIR difference spectroscopy to monitor substrate intake and metabolite release by growing bacteria.

Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) difference spectroscopy has been employed for a variety of applications spanning from reaction mechanisms analysis to interface phenomena assessment. This technique is based on the detection of spectral changes induced by the chemical modification of the original sample. In the present study, we highlight the potential of the ATR-FTIR difference approach in the field of microbial biochemistry and biotechnology, reporting on the identification of main soluble species consumed and released by growing bacteria during the biohydrogen production process.