Waste management of chemically activated switches: using a photoacid to eliminate accumulation of side products.

Molecular switches and machines that are powered by acid-base reactions are susceptible to low switching cycles because of the concomitant formation of waste products during their operation. Here, we demonstrate the fast, efficient, and reversible modulation of a hydrazone switch in methanol using a visible-light activated photoacid, with no generation of side products, high conversion rates (>95%), and no loss of activity over 100 cycles. TEG functionalization of the hydrazone switch allows for the process to be carried with high conversion (>90%) in water as well.

Simple hydrazone building blocks for complicated functional materials.

CONSPECTUS: The ability to selectively and effectively control various molecular processes via specific stimuli is a hallmark of the complexity of biological systems. The development of synthetic structures that can mimic such processes, even on the fundamental level, is one of the main goals of supramolecular chemistry. Having this in mind, there has been a foray of research in the past two decades aimed at developing molecular architectures, whose properties can be modulated using external inputs.

Efficacy of 3 types of foraging enrichment for rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Primate facilities provide environmental enrichment to improve animal wellbeing, increase opportunities for expression of species-typical behaviors, and decrease the occurrence of stereotypic behaviors. The current study assessed the efficacy of 3 types of foraging enrichment: puzzle balls, supertubes, and shakers. We assigned 48 rhesus macaques to 3 experimental groups, each of which received (after a 3-wk baseline observation period) 1 of the 3 enrichment devices intermittently for 3 wk.

Protein electrophoresis as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in raptor medicine.

Plasma proteins of 139 healthy adult birds of prey from 10 species were separated by electrophoresis to characterize and document normal reference ranges and species-specific electrophoretic patternsand to evaluate the value of this technique for health screening, disease diagnosis, and prognostic indication. Species studied included bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), barn owl (Tyto alba), great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), turkey vulture (Cathartes aura), Harris' hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), Stellar's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus), barred owl (Strix varia), screech owl (Otus asio), and black vulture (Coragyps atratus). Several clinical cases show the diagnostic/therapeutic value of protein electrophoresis in raptors.

Effect of dietary copper on selenium toxicity in Fischer 344 rats.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ameliorating effects of dietary copper supplementation on selenium toxicity. Nine groups (n = 6) of weanling Fischer 344 female rats were randomly assigned to treatment groups and fed diets containing nontoxic levels of copper as CuCl2 and/or selenium as selenite or selenocystamine. Weight gain, liver and spleen weights, plasma lipid peroxidation, and liver selenium and copper content were analyzed after the 6-wk treatment period.