GEL (Macintosh version 1.01) Jean-Michel Lacroix INTRODUCTION GEL a Macintosh application to calculate the size of DNA fragment in an agarose gel. In the program GEL, you can enter the results of a DNA gel, including the standards. 20 wells with a maximum of 20 bands per well can be entered in a gel file. At least one standard must be included in the gel, and a maximum of 3 different standards can be put in one gel: GEL will use the closest standard to calculate the size of the DNA fragments. The techniques used to calculate the size of the fragments can be found in the following two references: - Measurement of DNA Length by Gel Electrophoresis. E.M. Southern. 1979. Anal. Biochem. 100:319-323. - Improved Estimation of DNA Fragment Lengths from Agarose Gels. H.E. Schaffer and R.R. Sederoff. 1981. Anal. Biochem. 115:113-122. CONTACT ADDRESS This the version 1.01 of the application GEL for the Macintosh. This is the first released version. If you find any bugs, please report them to the author: Jean-Michel Lacroix, Ph.D. Tel: (416) 340-3548 The Toronto Hospital PAGER: (416) 761-3287 Bell Wing G-631 FAX: (416) 408-0613 200 Elizabeth Street Internet: LACROIX@MEDAC.MED.UTORONTO.CA Toronto, Ontario CompuServe: 73760,104 CANADA M5G 2C4 This software is in the public domain: you can copy it and distribute it freely, but you may not receive any money for this, with the exception or the money spend to make the copy and the cost of shipping the copy. If you charge something, you need the written authorization of the author. There is a form for this purpose in the instruction manual. If you like this software, please send me a small token ($10). Programming is not part of my job: I do that on my spare time. It costs money to build this kind of software (computer, books, compiler, debugger, using CompuServe to find programming techniques or programming utilities, etc...). This money helps me to continue to build this kind of software. I am NOT making money with it, believe me! If I add all the money invested over the years to build utility softwares, and add the money received for these softwares, I am loosing a lot of money. I offer support for every registered user. If you register, please include the version number (1.01 in this case): if there is a more recent version, it will be send to you free. Please, tell me also where you found your copy of GEL (friend, CompuServe, Internet, BBS, etc...). There is an instruction manual in the SIT file. Use the last page of this instruction manual to register your copy. If you cannot print the manual for any reason, contact me: I can send you a printed manual for $10. Future versions of this software will fix the bugs that will be reported. If you have any suggestion to improve this software, please let me know! AVAILABILITY GEL is available by anonymous FTP in different places in the Internet. I will always put the most recent version in the following places: fly.bio.indiana.edu in the directory /molbio/mac sunsite.unc.edu in the directory /pub/academic/biology/molbio/mac GEL will also be available in CompuServe, the exact area is not known yet. SYSTEM SUPPORTED You need an Macintosh computer (Mac plus or higher) with system 6.0.x or higher to run this application. A printout of the results can be send to a printer. SOURCE CODE The source code is not available. GEL was written in THINK Pascal 4.0.2 and the THINK Class Library 1.1.1. PROGRAM FILES in the archive: GEL-JML-MAC.DOC This documentation file. (6 Kb) GEL-JML-MAC.sit Archived file containing the program, the documentation file (GEL-JML.DOC), an help file, two example files, and an instruction manual (209 Kb). PROGRAM FILES after extraction: GEL-JML-MAC.DOC This documentation file. GEL 1.01 Executable file. SCHAFFER.GEL A demonstration gel: the data is from "Schaffer and Sederoff. 1981. Anal. Biochem. 115:113-122". SAMPLE.GEL A "real" gel: this is an actual DNA gel made while building a restriction map. READ.ME A Read.Me file containing different information about GEL 1.01. GEL Instruction Manual Documentation for GEL 1.01. Microsoft Word 5.1 document. IAFA-PKG.TXT A file to describe GEL in the Internet. DOCUMENTION There is an instruction manual (about 20 pages). It is a Microsoft Word (5.1) document. STARTING THE PROGRAM It is possible that the file is a BinHex file. If this is the case, you should first decode it using BinHex or Stuffit: That will create the file GEL-JML-MAC.sit You have do de-archive the program by using StuffIt 1.5.1 or a compatible program: All the file will be put in a folder named GEL 1.01 Folder When all the files are extracted, go the the appropriate folder (GEL 1.01 Folder). To start the program, double-click on the GEL 1.01 icon. MS-DOS VERSION There is a MS-DOS (IBM-PC and compatible) version of this software available. You can write to the address above (in CONTACT ADDRESS) to have more informations. LANGUAGES GEL for the Macintosh is available in English, Spanish and French. Contact the author to have more information.  Jean-Michel Lacroix, Ph.D., 9 February 1995.