Acquisition of a High-Capacity Multiprocessor Computer Server Cluster for Phylogenetic Analysis of DNA Sequence Data in Biological Research

大多数拟议的仪器的主要用户已经拥有超过100个分类群的DNA序列数据集。先前NSF赞助的ABI自动测序仪仪器（1995-96）已经导致高质量DNA序列数据的输出显著增加，这导致了高度不平衡的情况，其中“尖端”技术可用于产生分子数据，但是研究人员限于使用不充分的计算机来对这些数据集进行系统发育分析。菲尔德博物馆的研究人员在生物化学实验室已经淹没了所有本地可用的计算资源与系统发育分析的DNA序列数据，已产生的新的和创新的研究。该提案为完成和继续重要的新项目所需的大量额外计算资源的收购提供资金，这些项目是由实验室现有的DNA分离、PCR扩增和DNA序列数据自动生成设备（ABI 377自动测序仪）实现的。这不仅是这些DNA数据集的产生，使分子进化和系统学研究计划强大，但如何以及这些数据进行分析和解释。

Most major users of the proposed instrumentation already have DNA sequence data sets in hand that are in excess of 100 taxa. Prior NSF- sponsored ABI automated sequencer instrumentation (1995-96) has resulted in a remarkable increase in the output of quality DNA sequence data that has led to a highly unbalanced situation where "cutting-edge" technology is available to generate molecular data, but researchers are confined to using inadequate computers for the phylogenetic analyses of these data sets. Field Museum researchers in the Biochemistry Lab have flooded all locally available computing resources with phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data that have been generated for its new and innovative research. This proposal funds the acquisition of significant additional computing resources needed to complete and continue important new projects made possible by the Lab's existing equipment for isolating DNA, PCR amplification, and automated generation of DNA sequence data (ABI 377 automated sequencer). It is not only the generation of these DNA data sets that makes a molecular evolution and systematics research program strong, but how well those data are analyzed and interpreted.