![134770-Thumbnail Image.png](https://d1rbsgppyrdqq4.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/styles/width_400/public/2021-05/134770-Thumbnail%20Image.png?versionId=i0jxyJthXsB0WY2djwOCjSZJDxEqd9UR&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIASBVQ3ZQ42ZLA5CUJ/20240615/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240615T172908Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=120&X-Amz-Signature=f95d9ab96dea6fdd218452035086ad968aec4aa0edfb0a947f3301b35ef65cea&itok=YdMq6zzN)
![161592-Thumbnail Image.png](https://d1rbsgppyrdqq4.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/styles/width_400/public/2021-11/161592-Thumbnail%20Image.png?versionId=lQdnZukiHA.tqMfmNvir64MGBf9pm3B7&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIASBVQ3ZQ42ZLA5CUJ/20240615/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240615T011739Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=120&X-Amz-Signature=11d40217f95f18d7a170b45d70419ffd443eea9bbaadbe4e8303b1284b2e8796&itok=likQiSiA)
![168413-Thumbnail Image.png](https://d1rbsgppyrdqq4.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/styles/width_400/public/2022-08/168413-Thumbnail%20Image.png?versionId=f.i8pik6c4JygaCuFobm_EW.xtVotUM_&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIASBVQ3ZQ42ZLA5CUJ/20240615/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240615T213335Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=120&X-Amz-Signature=1df0fe6f9ae6a9c89582b47e8cdd1d19f649ace13580b946b66368259c7f8ed4&itok=lsAeBdKy)
![163973-Thumbnail Image.png](https://d1rbsgppyrdqq4.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/styles/width_400/public/2022-05/163973-thumbnail-image.png?versionId=ue.IZS9UszP0nmaTv9ZGQ0lKo9pLXPXH&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIASBVQ3ZQ42ZLA5CUJ/20240615/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240615T210107Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=120&X-Amz-Signature=f3f7ebdff909a3dc321e57e6fe31f3412c7503d9b659fddb31f93a96bc0314ce&itok=B7lTV3R3)
Caracals (Caracal caracal) are a felid species native to regions of southern Africa and western and central Asia. Despite their relatively high prevalence, the majority of research conducted on caracals has been undertaken on captive individuals, which encounter significantly different environments and exhibit different behaviors in comparison to caracals in the wild. Thereby, they likely have a vastly different virome. The goal of this study was to identify known and unknown DNA viruses associated with free-ranging caracals. Caracal fecal and organ samples were obtained from a caracal surveillance study undertaken in the Western Cape region of South Africa. Parasitic ticks found feeding on caracals were also obtained. Using a viral metagenomic informed approach, a novel circovirus (family Circoviridae) was detected and characterized in caracal fecal, kidney, spleen, and liver samples, as well as in ticks feeding on the caracals. To our knowledge, this is the first circovirus identified in caracals. The novel circovirus was determined to be closely related to a canine circovirus. These findings expand the knowledge of viral diversity and caracals and are greatly important to caracal conservation efforts as well as conservation efforts of other animals within their ecosystem.
![168657-Thumbnail Image.png](https://d1rbsgppyrdqq4.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/styles/width_400/public/2022-08/168657-Thumbnail%20Image.png?versionId=JFezdxPIkLecY8vPmT9heX06oZaQpU3O&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIASBVQ3ZQ42ZLA5CUJ/20240615/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240615T084652Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=120&X-Amz-Signature=a1ee20b3ffbc55f15329cae76f2d568500cb66e197225118a39f48d4c51b91a0&itok=ZzNzepKJ)
![168823-Thumbnail Image.png](https://d1rbsgppyrdqq4.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/styles/width_400/public/2022-08/168823-Thumbnail%20Image.png?versionId=dB435eJ4GKr81GmPdGY.GWO0eBo4DC_Y&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIASBVQ3ZQ42ZLA5CUJ/20240616/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240616T030141Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=120&X-Amz-Signature=e400af2a9e51aaf9aa545979e3b8ff8cc4dff1995315e7e2a7658584f3f5c073&itok=CTOJ1AkT)
In cold chain tracking systems, accuracy and flexibility across different temperatures ranges plays an integral role in monitoring biospecimen integrity. However, while two common cold chain tracking systems are currently available (electronic and physics/chemical), there is not an affordable cold chain tracking mechanism that can be applied to a variety of temperatures while maintaining accuracy for individual vials. Hence, our lab implemented our understanding of biochemical reaction kinetics to develop a new cold chain tracking mechanism using the permanganate/oxalic acid reaction. The permanganate/oxalic acid reaction is characterized by the reduction of permanganate (MnVII) to Mn(II) with Mn(II)-autocatalyzed oxidation of oxalate to CO2, resulting in a pink to colorless visual indicator change when the reaction system is not in the solid state (i.e., frozen or vitrified). Throughout our research, we demonstrate, (i) Improved reaction consistency and accuracy along with extended run times with the implementation of a nitric acid-based labware washing protocol, (ii) Simulated reaction kinetics for the maximum length reaction and 60-minute reaction based on previously developed MATLAB scripts (iii) Experimental reaction kinetics to verify the simulated MATLAB maximum and 60-minute reactions times (iv) Long-term stability of the permanganate/oxalic acid reaction with water or eutectic solutions of sodium perchlorate and magnesium perchlorate at -80°C (v) Reaction kinetics with eutectic solvents, sodium perchlorate and magnesium perchlorate, at 25°C, 4°C, and -8°C (vi) Accelerated reaction kinetics after the addition of varying concentrations of manganese perchlorate (vii) Reaction kinetics of higher concentration reaction systems (5x and 10x; for darker colors), at 25°C (viii) Long-term stability of the 10x higher concentration reaction at -80°C.
![171514-Thumbnail Image.png](https://d1rbsgppyrdqq4.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/styles/width_400/public/2022-12/171514-Thumbnail%20Image.png?versionId=qqMCs4C3d5dYknudgThrH5PlfUyguEeZ&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIASBVQ3ZQ42ZLA5CUJ/20240615/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240615T124136Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=120&X-Amz-Signature=6ecccf4de9c6ee5d37678efb47a87525ce11ba5bf6b57efa00e1830488b349d2&itok=2VWYDwr8)
![190763-Thumbnail Image.png](https://d1rbsgppyrdqq4.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/styles/width_400/public/2023-12/190763-Thumbnail%20Image.png?versionId=907AAc1D8bPWxJtvFLLRhhO5ageeg8qL&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIASBVQ3ZQ42ZLA5CUJ/20240616/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240616T030115Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=120&X-Amz-Signature=0466444d8db6aaca5df92565982016ee443d35ae3a833e8f8d920cd3da377870&itok=LMimWmoF)
![190960-Thumbnail Image.png](https://d1rbsgppyrdqq4.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/styles/width_400/public/2023-12/190960-Thumbnail%20Image.png?versionId=32KLLZcCnSnnlYNG_0BMKWsFRakZLkk5&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIASBVQ3ZQ42ZLA5CUJ/20240615/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240615T044554Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=120&X-Amz-Signature=862d6b464f244d2ce346038db2dce7a0ae9025ae9a7e0c659be70c55ed4d46b0&itok=jSoAlJOS)