		Release Notes for Staden Package 1992.3
		---------------------------------------


	Installation guide
	------------------

The file doc/install.PS contain installation instructions.


	Manual for the Staden Package
	-----------------------------

There is now a 135 page manual on the Staden Package. It is currently
being distributed on a Word4 document on a Macintosh floppy disk.


	Feedback and bug reports
	------------------------

We welcome comments and suggestions on all aspects of the package and are
best contacted by email: rs@uk.ac.cam.mrc-lmb and sd@uk.ac.cam.mrc-lmb.
All abnormal terminations are bugs and we would like to be told of them
so they can be fixed. We recommend that you request an update at least once
a year as the package is evolving very rapidly.

Note due to popular demand we have decided to release new routines earlier 
than in the past so please report bugs. The documentation for additions may
be sparser than before, or non-existent, but if there is something with which 
you need help, email us.


	Changes this release
	--------------------


	The assembly programs bap and xbap heve several new functions:
	1. Find single stranded regions and try to fill them with "hidden"
	data from the adjacent readings.
	2. Find single stranded regions (includes ends of contigs) and 
	select primers and templates for double stranding them (joining
	them).
	3. Pre assembly screening for readings to find those that align
	best. Optionally the hidden data can also be included in the
	comparison (part of assembly function).
	4. Find pairs of readings taken from opposite ends of the same
	template (ie forward and reverse read pairs). List or plot their
	positions.
	5. A new function to check that readings have been assembled into
	the correct positions. It aligns the hidden (previously termed "unused")
	parts of readings with the consensus they overlap to see how well
	they align. Poor alignments are reported.
	6. During assembly each reading is now allowed to match up to 100
	different places.

	It might be guessed from the above that we are trying to improve our
	ability to deal with the assembly of human data. Hence, also the next
	addition.

	A new experimental program (rep) for screening readings for Alu
	sequences prior to assembly. The Alu containing segments are tagged
	so they can be seen in the contig editor. A library of Alu sequences
	is included in /tables/alus. The program is quite slow as it compares
	each reading in both orientations with all of the Alu sequences (126
	of them) in order to find the best match. Only time and more data will
	tell how sensitive it is, and whether the current default score 0f 0.6
	is "correct". BEWARE rep modifies the original reading files to include
	the tag information. The only information is in /help/alu.help

	A new program for extracting sets of sequences and their annotations
	from the sequence libraries (lip). The only information is in
	/help/lip.help

	Changes to the xterm userinterface. These routines have been completely
	rewritten. One addition is that now ?? in response to a question will
	allow the user to get help on any function in a program. help is also
	improved in the x version.


	Changes last release
	--------------------


	DAP, XDAP have been replaced by BAP and XBAP (see below)

	A new function for examining repeats has been added to NIP

	A new repeat search has been added to SIP

	Some outputs have been changed to produce FASTA format files
	instead of PIR.

	MEP now allows searches for motifs in which any 8 out of a string
	of 20 can be switched on.

	The manual has been updated.

        Keyword and author searches on sequence libraries

	All programs that use the libraries can now perform author
and keyword searches on all libraries (only nip did so before).

	Postscript output

	All graphics can now be saved to disk in postscript form by
use of a sub-option in "Redirect output".
	


	Sequence assembly

BAP, XBAP replace DAP and XDAP. A program to convert DAP databases to BAP
databases (convert) is included. BAP databases can contain up to 8000 readings
and a consensus of 500,000 bases. A minor edit and recompilation will allow
up to 99,999 readings. The space is used more efficiently now as the databases
grow as the number of readings increases. Reading names can be 16 characters
in length. In addition:

1) Assembly is 4 times as fast as in the DAP.

2) Find internal joins is 5 times as fast and now brings up the join editor
with the two contigs in the correct orientation and aligned.

3) The assembly routines align pads better, plus a new automatic function can
also be used to align them prior to editing.

4) The contig editor has been greatly speeded up and its functionality
has been enhanced.

5) A routine for selecting oligos for primer walking is included. 

6) A new routine allows batches of readings to be removed from a database. 

7) We have also included routines for making SCF files, for getting the 
sequence from SCF files, and one for marking the poor quality data in 
readings. See the manual.

	Sequence library formats

	The standard sequence library indexing method is now that used on the
EMBL CD-ROM. The libraries (EMBL nucleotide and SWISSPROT protein) can be
left on the CD-ROM or copied to disk. We include in the package programs
for creating this type of index for EMBL updates, PIR in codata format,
NRL3D and GenBank. If the indexes are created all programs can read all
these libraries. Programs and scripts for this task are contained in the
directory indexseqlibs.
	The keyword and author searches are particularly fast and the
keyword index is based on ALL text in the files - not just the keywords.

	Feature table formats

	The programs now use the new feature table format common to EMBL
and GenBank, but retain the old format for SWISSPROT which has not yet
changed. 

	For details of the above see file SequenceLibraries.

	Pattern searches

	Pipl and Nipl now have the facility to find only the best scoring
match for each sequence. The prompt is "? report all matches", so typing
only return means all matches will be shown and typing n means only the
highest scoring will be reported. It is particularly useful when employed
to create alignments. The corresponding help file has not been updated.
Also to incorporate long unix file names the pattern files no longer include
the annotation "filename".


	Nip

	Option 38 in nip "translate and list" has been removed as the the
more flexible routines of option 39 incorporate all its functionality. Many
options that relate to feature tables have been modified but their help files
are not yet up to date.


        Vep

	A program (vep) for automatic excising of vector (either
sequencing vector or cosmid vector) sequences from readings is now
included in the package.




	Rodger Staden, Simon Dear, James Bonfield

  


