Laurmagee: Week 11

1. Make a list of at least 10 biological terms for which you did not know the definitions when you first read the article. Define each of the terms.
2. Write an outline of the article.
3. What types of data can be found in the database (sequence, structures, annotations, etc.); is it a primary or “meta” database; is it curated electronically, manually [in-house], or manually [community])?
4. What individual or organization maintains the database?
5. What is their funding source(s)?
6. Is there a license agreement or any restrictions on access to the database?
7. How often is the database updated?
8. Are there links to other databases?
9. Can the information be downloaded? In what file formats?
10. Evaluate the “user-friendliness” of the database. Is the Web site well-organized? Does it have a help section or tutorial? Run a sample query. Do the results make sense?
11. What is the format (regular expression) of the main type of gene ID for this species? (for example, for Vibrio cholerae it was VC#### or VC_####).