The specific aim of this project is to develop computer-assisted methods for structural characterization of oligosaccharides. This project has focused on developing a World Wide Web (WWW)-based database system for analytical information processing and classification called the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center-Neural Network (CCRC-Net) system. The CCRC-Net provides scientists around the world access to a group of databases and their artificial neural network search engines for spectral classification and compound identification of carbohydrates. CCRC-Net is a client-server system that is platform-independent. The only requirement is that the user have a graphical web browser (e.g., Netscape, Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mosaic, etc.). The CCRC-Net system is designed in a """"""""fractal parallel distributed (FPD)"""""""" manner so that the system can accommodate expansion at any level without compromising its performance in a manner that is completely transparent to the user. This design concept has allowed us to create a """"""""distributed"""""""" system whose modules, data, or services could reside in various parts of the world. CCRC-Net currently has three databases and three artificial neural network search engines (one for each database) available via the WWW. The three databases contain (i) combined gas chromatography-electron impact mass spectra of partially methylated alditol acetates (GC-EIMS of PMAAs), (ii) 1H-NMR (proton nuclear magentic resonance) spectra of xyloglucan oligosaccharide residues, and (iii) 1H-NMR spectra of glucuronoxylomannans (GXMs) from Cryptococcus neoformans. The development effort to build these databases, their search engines, and their WWW interface has produced over 30,000 lines of program code.
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