[RASMB] ANNOUNCEMENT: UltraScan 7.3 released

[Borries Demeler]

Dear Colleagues:

I am happy to announce the release of UltraScan 7.3 for Linux,
Windows, Macintosh OSX, and various Unix flavors. While this is mostly a
maintenance release that fixes several bugs (and most likely introduces a
number of new ones :-), there are also several new features included
in this release. Among them are:

 * a new 3-D viewer for visualizing finite element models fitted from
   2-dimensional spectrum analysis data, whole boundary finite element
   fitting, genetic algorithm fitting, C(s) fitting and for models saved
   through the simulation module.

 * a GUI supercomputer interface for the 2-dimensional spectrum analysis
   and the genetic algorithm analysis allowing submission of multiple 
   datasets for global analysis (Linux/Unix/Mac only)

 * a web-based supercomputer interface that allows you to submit jobs to
   a supercomputer queue for 2-dimensional spectrum analysis and the genetic
   algorithm analysis

 * many enhancements in the UltraScan database backend and the web portal

 * several new user-defined models involving reversibly self-associating
   equilibria mixed with incompetent oligomers of user-defined oligomerization state
   (for example, to fit a monomer-dimer system, where a portion of the 
   dimer is incompetent due to disulfide bonds between two units, or where
   a monomer is unable to dimerize because of a portion of the molecule 
   being misfolded)

 * a new utility to subtract time-invariant noise calculated from the 
   2-dimensional spectrum analysis from experimental data and to correct
   the meniscus using meniscus position fitted data, either from finite element
   whole-boundary fitted data or from the 2-dimensional spectrum analysis
	(GA meniscus fitting is still under development)

 * new geometry management on several modules that allows larger fonts to be 
   displayed without cutting off text.

 * a new multiwavelength viewer/editor for Helmut Coelfen's new multiwavelength
   optics. Converts multiwavelength data into standard XLA-formatted datafiles
   for radial, wavelength and intensity data.

Documentation is not yet quite up to date, that will be fixed in the next 
major release 8.0 anticipated for this summer.

Because of the interest shown in having the source code available we have
put compressed archives of the complete source code for the UltraScan
distribution online in the download area. UltraScan is now available
under the terms of the GPL license.

Also: On a limited basis, we are making our supercomputer web interface
available to outside users (mostly nights and weekends). Please contact
me for availability if you would like to have some data analyzed by the
2-dimensional spectrum analysis or the genetic algorithm method.

UltraScan is freely downloadable. Binary distributions for all major platforms
and source code, and also the web portal for the UltraScan LIMS can be found at:

		 http://www.ultrascan.uthscsa.edu

Best regards, -Borries