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A comprehensive second-generation whole genome radiation hybrid (RH II), cytogenetic and comparative map of the horse genome (2n = 64) has been developed using the 5000rad horse × hamster radiation hybrid panel and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The map contains 4,103 markers (3,816 RH; 1,144 FISH) assigned to all 31 pairs of autosomes and the X chromosome. The RH maps of individual chromosomes are anchored and oriented using 857 cytogenetic markers. The overall resolution of the map is one marker per 775 kilobase pairs (kb), which represents a more than five-fold improvement over the first-generation map. The RH II incorporates 920 markers shared jointly with the two recently reported meiotic maps. Consequently the two maps were aligned with the RH II maps of individual autosomes and the X chromosome. Additionally, a comparative map of the horse genome was generated by connecting 1,904 loci on the horse map with genome sequences available for eight diverse vertebrates to highlight regions of evolutionarily conserved syntenies, linkages, and chromosomal breakpoints. The integrated map thus obtained presents the most comprehensive information on the physical and comparative organization of the equine genome and will assist future assemblies of whole genome BAC fingerprint maps and the genome sequence. It will also serve as a tool to identify genes governing health, disease and performance traits in horses and assist us in understanding the evolution of the equine genome in relation to other species.

A comparative approach that utilizes information from more densely mapped or sequenced genomes is a proven and efficient means to increase our knowledge of the structure of the horse genome. Human chromosome 2 (HSA2), the second largest human chromosome, comprising 243 Mb, and containing 1246 known genes, corresponds to all or parts of three equine chromosomes. This report describes the assignment of 140 new markers (78 genes and 62 microsatellites) to the equine radiation hybrid (RH) map, and the anchoring of 24 of these markers to horse chromosomes by FISH. The updated equine RH maps for ECA6p, ECA15, and ECA18 resulting from this work have one, two, and three RH linkage groups, respectively, per chromosome/chromosome-arm. These maps have a three-fold increase in the number of mapped markers compared to previous maps of these chromosomes, and an increase in the average marker density to one marker per 1.3 Mb. Comparative maps of ECA6p, ECA15, and ECA18 with human, chimpanzee, dog, mouse, rat, and chicken genomes reveal blocks of conserved synteny across mammals and vertebrates.

Background: Natural products are a relevant source of antiviral drugs. Five medicinal plants used in Argentina have been assayed to detect inhibition of viral growth. Methods: Antiviral activity of the infusions and methanolic extracts of Aristolochia macroura, Celtis spinosa, Plantago major, Schinus areira, Petiveria alliacea and four extracts obtained from the leaves and stems of the last plant were evaluated by the plaque assay. Results:P. alliacea, unlike A. macroura, C. spinosa, P. major and S. areira, inhibited bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) replication. Neither P. alliacea nor the assays of the other plants were active against herpes simplex virus type 1, poliovirus type 1, adenovirus serotype 7 and vesicular stomatitis virus type 1. Four extracts of P. alliacea were assayed to detect anti-BVDV activity. Ethyl acetate (EC 50 of 25 µg/ml) and dichloromethane (EC 50 of 43 µg/ml) extracts were active; moreover, promising SI (IC 50 /EC 50 ) values were obtained. Conclusion: BVDV is highly prevalent in the cattle population, there are no antiviral compounds available; additionally, it is a viral model of the hepatitis C virus. For these reasons and in view of the results obtained, the isolation and characterization of the antiviral components present in the P. alliacea extracts is worth carrying out in the future.

Working with retailers is often the least understood as well as most difficult form of economic development assistance. Many downtown revitalization professionals have developed highly creative and productive forms of business retention assistance programs. For example, the owner of Mary Ann's Gift Shop, which is located in a small Tennessee town and sells wedding presents, attracts customers by sending the bride and groom 10% in cash of the value of the gifts purchased in the store. A kitchenware store enhances traffic volume in the store by offering cooking classes, and a futon maker in Virginia uses the ground floor of its building for a retail sales outlet, while the upper floors are now used to manufacture the futons. Assisting businesses in financial trouble is the most difficult aspect of business retention. Confidentiality is a must, and downtown developers must appreciate that pride will hinder most business owners from seeking help. One way to provide assistance is to address reducing operating costs.

All across the US, many rural economic development organizations are struggling to find the scarce resources needed to maintain an adequate operating budget in order to facilitate an aggressive and comprehensive program. An outcome of this is the development of multi-community or multi-county economic development organization. A study of the struggles and successes of this new trend in communities is presented. In Wisconsin, multi-community organizations are quickly proving themselves as a viable alternative for rural communities to combine their resources to attract new industries, build on existing economies, and even branch out into new avenues, such as tourism development, housing, and working with local retailers.

Over the years, the economic development field has become multi-faceted and diversified, with professionals managing not only industrial recruitment and retention, but also administering housing projects, commercial strip development, and downtown revitalization. Very often in small towns across the US, the same person or program is responsible for all economic development activities. In Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, the Main Street Program has approached economic development on a community-wide level and has been highlighted nationally for its success in downtown business development.

One challenge for synthetic biologists is the predictable tuning of genetic circuit regulatory components to elicit desired outputs. Gene expression driven by ligand-inducible transcription factor systems must exhibit the correct ON and OFF characteristics: appropriate activation and leakiness in the presence and absence of inducer, respectively. However, the dynamic range of a promoter (i.e., absolute difference between ON and OFF states) is difficult to control. We report a method that tunes the dynamic range of ligand-inducible promoters to achieve desired ON and OFF characteristics. We build combinatorial sets of AraC-and LasR-regulated promoters containing −10 and −35 sites from synthetic and Escherichia coli promoters. Four sequence combinations with diverse dynamic ranges were chosen to build multi-input transcriptional logic gates regulated by two and three ligand-inducible transcription factors (LacI, TetR, AraC, XylS, RhlR, LasR, and LuxR). This work enables predictable control over the dynamic range of regulatory components. For synthetic gene circuits to behave as designed, ligand-inducible promoters should display predictable ON/OFF characteristics. Here the authors design multi-input hybrid promoters to build transcriptional logic gates.