This information has been updated for 6/23/95.  I have changed the database and
broken it down into three files rather than two, which takes up a lot less disk space.
	This database was taken from the information in the USDA Nutrient Data Base for
Standard Reference, Release 10 - Nutrient data from Agriculture Handbook No. 8, as made
available via gopher://gopher.inform.umd.edu:70/11/EdRes/Topic/AgrEnv/USDA
	/USDAFoodCompositionData/Data/SR10
 The data was received in a format in which the food titles had been reduced to a 20 character
maximum. These have been painstakingly
reexpanded with the exception of a few abbreviations whose full form was
not readily discernable, and a few others which typically represent
preparation information or serving sizes.  These were left in their
abbreviated form for subsequent interpretation by anyone who is able.
	
	There are a few files which will be of interest to those wishing to use the database.  First
is a descriptive file, "descrip.txt", which describes the components of the database as well as
offering  suggestions for usage.  Second is a conversion table, "list.txt"  for most of the
abbreviations still remaining in the database.  These can be ftp'd in ascii format.  Finally, the
three database files are available as "header.dbf", "usda2.dbf", and "nutr_tbl.dbf", which should
be ftp'd in binary format.
	The motivation for the creation of this database was to have a no-cost, reliable,
standardized, and comprehensive body of nutrition information available for research purposes.
Right here, the information is going into a program which uses a simplex search algorithm over a
Monte Carlo sampler to search for diets which meet a minimum acceptability limit for a specific
list of foods, defined for a specific list of nutrients with individually defined acceptability
functions.  This program allows for examination of the space of acceptable diets, and results can
be analyzed to determine any limiting factors.  This program will also be made availble to the
public at this same site as soon as it meets minimum standards for public consumption.
	This is all made available to you courtesy of Brett Bufford (brett@biosys2.berkeley.edu),
courtesy of Prof.  David M. Auslander, courtesy of the NSCORT located at Purdue University,
funded by NASA.  For more information on any of the above, check out
http://www.bio.purdue.edu/nscort/homepage.html
Have a nice day.