the corresponding materials, methods, and procedures. The database resides in Sybase, a 

 relational database management system, on a Sun 4 computer operating under UNIX. 



We have developed tools to support the flow of data from the laboratory into the 

 database and, once in the database, into various fonns suitable for analysis and 

 presentation. For example, electrophoretic gel data (e.g., DNA fragment sizes) are 

 transferred directly to the database from the Biolmage Visage 1 10, an image-processing 

 workstation. Fingerprint annotation is developed and attached to the DNA fragment 

 data items through a similar mechanism. Reports from these data are created for direct 

 input to fingerprint analysis software. 



The user interface was designed to present a conceptual view of the data without 

 burdening the user with the need to understand the structure of the database and details 

 of data storage. Developed using the Sybase's APT-forms, the Laboratory Notebook 

 requires very little training to use. 



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