Facile Modification of Medical-Grade Silicone for Antimicrobial Effectiveness and Biocompatibility: A Potential Therapeutic Strategy against Bacterial Biofilms.

A one-step modification of biomedical silicone tubing with ,-dimethyltetradecylamine, C14, results in a composition designated WinGard-1 (WG-1, 1.1 wt % C14). A surface-active silicon-amine phase (SAP) is proposed to account for increased wettability and increased surface charge.

Ancient Mongolian aurochs genomes reveal sustained introgression and management in East Asia.

Societies in East Asia have utilized domesticated cattle for over 5000 years, but the genetic history of cattle in East Asia remains understudied. Genome-wide analyses of 23 ancient Mongolian cattle reveal that East Asian aurochs and ancient East Asian taurine cattle are closely related, but neither are closely related to any modern East Asian breeds. We observe binary variation in aurochs diet throughout the early Neolithic, and genomic evidence shows millennia of sustained male-dominated introgression.

Heterometallic Ce/ V Oxo Clusters with Adjustable Catalytic Reactivities.

Heterometallic Ce/M oxo clusters are underexplored yet and can benefit from synergistic properties from combining cerium and other metal cations to produce efficient redox catalysts. Herein, we designed and synthesized a series of new CeV oxo clusters with different capping ligands: , (OTs: toluenesulfonic acid), and (NBSA: nitrobenzenesulfonic acid). Single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) for all three structures reveals a CeV cubane core formulated [Ce(VO)O] with cerium on the edges of the cube, vanadyl capping the faces, and sulfate on the corners.

The Promise of Paleogenomics Beyond Our Own Species.

Paleogenomics, also known as genome-wide ancient DNA analysis, is transforming our understanding of the human past, but has been much less intensively used to understand the history of other species. However, paleogenomic studies of non-human animals and plants have the potential to address an equally rich range of evolutionary, paleoecological, paleoenvironmental, and archaeological research questions. Three recent case studies of cave bears, horses, and maize provide examples of the ways that paleogenomics can be used to examine potential causes of extinctions and dynamic processes of domestication.

Comparison of six commercial antigen kits for detection of Dirofilaria immitis infections in canines with necropsy-confirmed heartworm status.

Patient-side test kits for detecting antigenemia in dogs associated with sexually mature female heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) have been available for three decades, and these tests are continually updated and improved. To define the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of contemporary antigen detection tests against cardiopulmonary D. immitis burden, we evaluated five patient-side kits-Anigen Rapid One Step (Bio note), SNAP 4Dx Plus Test Kit (IDEXX), WITNESS Heartworm Canine Heartworm Antigen Test Kit (Zoetis), VetScan Canine Heartworm Rapid Test (Abaxis), and Solo Step CH Canine Heartworm Antigen Test (Heska), and one microplate ELISA (DiroCHEK; Zoetis), using archived canine sera divided into five subclasses of female worms (0, 1-5, 6-20, 21-40, and >40).