The entire DNA sequence of chromosome III of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been determined. This is the first complete sequence analysis of an entire chromosome from any organism. The 315-kilobase sequence reveals 182 open reading frames for proteins longer than 100 amino acids, of which 37 correspond to known genes and 29 more show some similarity to sequences in databases. Of 55 new open reading frames analysed by gene disruption, three are essential genes; of 42 non-essential genes that were tested, 14 show some discernible effect on phenotype and the remaining 28 have no overt function.

As DNA sequencing is performed more and more in a mass-production-like manner, efficient quality control measures become increasingly important for process control, but so also does the ability to compare different methods and projects. One of the fundamental quality measures in sequencing projects is the position-specific error probability at all bases in each individual sequence. Accurate prediction of base-specific error rates from ''raw'' sequence data would allow immediate quality control as well as benchmarking different methods and projects while avoiding the inefficiencies and time delays associated with resequencing and assessments after ''finishing'' a sequence. The program PHRED provides base-specific quality scores that are logarythmically related to error probabilities. This study assessed the accuracy of PHRED's error-rate prediction by analyzing sequencing projects from six different large-scale sequencing laboratories. All projects used four-color fluorescent sequencing, but the sequencing methods used varied widely between the different projects. The results indicate that the error-rate predictions such as those given by PHRED can be highly accurate for a large variety of different sequencing methods as well as over a wide range of sequence quality.

Background: Polysialylated glycoproteins play an import role during numerous biological processes. Results: Polysialylated ST8SiaII and NCAM are components of mammalian semen and are partially associated with spermatozoa. Conclusion: Polysialic acid represents a further glyco-motif in mammalian ejaculates, which is known to influence the immune system. Significance: Administration of polysialic acid during insemination might be useful to increase the number of spermatozoa escaping the female immune system.

To understand the scope and development of the COVID-19 pandemic, knowledge of the number of infected persons is essential. Often, the number of "confirmed cases", which is based on positive RT-PCR test results, is regarded as a reasonable indicator. However, limited COVID-19 test capacities in many countries are restricting the amount of testing that can be done. This can lead to the implementation of testing policies that restrict access to COVID-19 tests, and to testing backlogs and delays. As a result, confirmed case numbers can be significantly lower than the actual number of infections, especially during rapid growth phases of the epidemic.This study examines the quantitative relation between infections and reported confirmed case numbers for two different testing strategies, "limited" and "inclusive" testing, in relation to the growth rate of the epidemic. The results indicate that confirmed case numbers understate the actual number of infections substantially; during rapid growth phases where the daily growth rate can reach or exceed 30%, as has been seen in many countries, the confirmed case numbers under-report actual infections by up to 50 to 100-fold.

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