Effect of nephropathogenic infectious bronchitis viruses on renal function in young male broiler chickens

1. The acute effects of challenge with Australian T‐strain infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) on renal function were evaluated, following primary vaccination in 1‐d‐old male broilers.

2. Challenge with T‐strain IBV decreased body weight and induced kidney hypertrophy and kidney asymmetry.

3. Haematocrit was reduced in birds challenged with the Australian T‐strain IBV and plasma uric acid was elevated in unvaccinated birds exposed to the IBV challenge.

4. Challenge with T‐strain IBV caused significant increases in urinary water losses, accompanied by decreased urine osmolality and increased fractional excretion of sodium, calcium and potassium.

5. Vaccination at 1‐d‐old with Vic S‐strain IBV provided a limited degree of protection against an heterologous challenge with T‐strain IBV at 15 d of age.     

Astronomers gossip about the (cosmic) neighborhood

The Hague, Netherlands, last month welcomed 2000 astronomers from around the world for the 22nd General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). From 15 to 27 August, they participated in symposia and discussions on topics ranging from the down-to-Earth issue of light and radio-frequency pollution to the creation of elements at the farthest reaches of time and space, in the big bang. Some of the most striking news, however, came in new findings from our galaxy and its immediate surroundings.     

Topographic forcing of the atmosphere and a rapid change in the length of day

During June to September 1992, a special campaign was held to measure rapid changes in Earth's rotation rate and to relate these measurements to variations in the atmosphere's angular momentum, due principally to changes in zonal winds. A strong rise in both length of day and atmospheric momentum during a particular 6-day subperiod is documented, and this example of a short-period perturbation is identified with a specific regional coupling mechanism. Mountain torques within the southern tropics appear to account for most of the rapid momentum transfer between the solid Earth and atmosphere, with those across South America especially important.     

Facile catalyst separation without water: fluorous biphase hydroformylation of olefins

A novel concept for performing stoichiometric and catalytic chemical transformations has been developed that is based on the limited miscibility of partially or fully fluorinated compounds with nonfluorinated compounds. A fluorous biphase system (FBS) consists of a fluorous phase containing a dissolved reagent or catalyst and another phase, which could be any common organic or nonorganic solvent with limited or no solubility in the fluorous phase. The fluorous phase is defined as the fluorocarbon (mostly perfluorinated alkanes, ethers, and tertiary amines)-rich phase of a biphase system. An FBS compatible reagent or catalyst contains enough fluorous moieties that it will be soluble only or preferentially in the fluorous phase. The most effective fluorous moieties are linear or branched perfluoroalkyl chains with high carbon number; they may also contain heteroatoms. The chemical transformation may occur either in the fluorous phase or at the interface of the two phases. The application of FBS has been demonstrated for the extraction of rhodium from toluene and for the hydroformylation of olefins. The ability to separate a catalyst or a reagent from the products completely at mild conditions could lead to industrial application of homogeneous catalysts or reagents and to the development of more environmentally benign processes.