USDA-ARS-FAA, Richard B. Russell Center, 950 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30605-2720

66 -- CHEF MAPPER XA CHILLER SYSTEM SOL RFP-010-4384-97 POC Allen Moore, Contract Specialist (706)546-3533 WEB: CHEF MAPPER XA CHILLER SYSTEM, http://www.usa.gov/procurement/index.html. The USDA Agricultural Research Service, South Atlantic Area is planning on entering into a sole source contract with BioRad Laboratories, 200 Alfred Nobel Drive, Hercules, CA 94574 for equipment to perform analyses of the chromosome of bacterial strains for the purpose of typing the bacteria. The procedure to be used is pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), which produces results that are comparable from lab to lab only when rigorously controlled. The results are incorporated into a database in a proprietary format and then can compared by computer software. Description of equipment: the equipment is for performing pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), electronically aquiring and storing the gel image, printing a gel image, and analyzing the data and allow us to be part of a network to monitor changes in the distribution of bacterial subtypes. The systsm was designed to maximize the capability of laboratories to optimize the performance of PFGE. Electronic aquisition of the gel image is faster and more accurate than conventional photography followed by scanning. Computer software analysis of the data will allow the ability to cross check with new and existing databanks to compare isolates. The system is composed of the following: CHEF Mapper XA Chiller system; GelDoc 1000 image aquisition system; White light transillumonator; MAC: UV Gel Documentation software license; Mitsubishi P68 Video printer; and RFLP analysis software (Fingerprinting Plus), a sole source acquisition is anticipated since it is believed that the listed equipment must be purchased from BioRad to assure strict compatibility with existing network. The network currently includes collaborators in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regulatory officials in the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service and several stat health laboratories in the Association of State and Territorial Public Health Laboratories Directors. The following specifications are required in the system: 1) Pusled-field gel electroporesis equipment specifications: (a) On board auto algorithm with protocols. Interrelates 11 different variables: fragment size, switch time, switch time ramp, pulse angle, voltage gradient, run time, agarose type, agarose %, buffer type, buffer concentration, and temperature. Parameters may be edited before start of run. Algorithm may be by passed for manual entry of parameters. (b) Interactive algorithm operating oN PC or compatable computer using Windows 3.1 Interrelates same 11 variables described above. Parameters may be stored in bar code form, and read into the PFGE unit. Parameters may be printed in text format. (c) CHEF (Clamped Homogeneous Electric Field) technology which provides uniform electric fields by means of electronic clamping angles. (d) PACE (Programmable Autonomously Controlled Electrodes) technology which provides electronic variation of included field angle from 90-120 deg. (e) Dynamic Regulation in which electrode potentials are actively monitored and related maintaining both homogeneous electric fields and fields angle within the electrophoresis chamber independent of fluctuations in buffer temperature of pH. (f) Allows 1-8 blocks (of repeating vectors) per run. Automatic change from one block to the next. (g) FIGE capability, with asymmetric forward/reverse voltages (highest resolution below 50 kb). (h) Electronic variation of the pulse angle from 0-360 deg (eg, 106 deg reduces run time for DNAs over 1 Mb by one half, without loss of resolution. (i) Linear and non-linear switch time ramps for liear separations, with increases accuracy of sizing. Non-linear protocols use a hyperbolic function which stimulates logarithmic or exponential switch time ramps. (j) Ability to perform voltage or angle ramps, up to 8 steps (1 step per block). (k) Secondary pulses or interrupt vectors as describes by Cantor or Noolandi for increasing speed of separation, or resolution. (i) Fast switching down to 50 msec (fro DNA sunder 50kb). (m) Multi-user capability : store at least 20 programs in memory. (n) Power supply, switcher, electronic drives consolidated into one module, with complete battery back up of set parameters and user programs, in the event of a pwer failure. (o) Variable speed pump to allow precise control of buffer flow rate in the chamber. (p) Colloing Module, with direct buffer chilling 5 deg C to ambient. (q) Ability to control each electrode potential via external computer for specialized pulse field separations through RS-232 port (provided). 2) Windows COD Video System for Documentation and Analysis of DNA, RNA, and protein gels specifications: (a) Includes graphical software for the Windows platform for acquisition, optimization, quantitation, and documentation DNA, RNA, protein stained gels. (b) Includes a compact fluorescent darkroom & transilluminator system, so there is no need to turn off the laboratory lights or to operate video systems in photographic darkrooms. Unit must have small (approx. 24cm x 34cm) footprint to fit in laboratory space. (c) I spart of an integrated image analysis system which runs from a single software appliction. (d) Includes thermal printer for highly legible hard copy of image data. 3) Image analysis software specifications: (a) Basic software -- Input of 2D images of 1 D tracks of unlimited filesize. Automatic lane finding. Normalization using external reference patterns and internal reference peaks. Adjustable background subtraction by curve fitting or rolling disk method. Imaging of any selection of patterns by reconstructed or real normalized TIFF strips. (b) Cluster analysis. Creation of dendrograms including up to 1000 database entries using Pearson correlation, band position and/or area matching coefficients. UPGMA, Ward, or Neighbor Joining clustering. Indication of statistical error flags at all linkage levels. (c) Comparative quantification. Anatomy and comparative quantification of peaks between groups of patterns. Generation of characteristics table and comparative reports between patterns. Trace-to-trace comparisons. Database search for patterns with combinations of specific peaks. Automatic search for the most discriminative peaks between groups. (d) Principal Components analysis. Non-heirarchic grouping by PCA representation of clouds of enties in X-Y-Z coordinates system. Animated rotation of coordinate system to enhance perception of 3D structures. Automatic delineating of populations and significance of defined groups. Vendors offering a system which meets these minimum requirements should send descriptive literature of that system to the above address by May 13, 1997. (0112)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0247 19970425\66-0002.SOL)