score is identified. The initial scores found in step1 are used to rank the library sequences. The highest score is referred to as init1 score. In an alignment if several initial regions with scores greater than a CUTOFF value are found, check whether the trimmed initial regions can be joined to form an approximate alignment with gaps. Calculate a similarity score that is the sum of the joined regions penalising for each gap 20 points. This initial similarity score (initn) is used to rank the library sequences. The score of the single best initial region found in step 2 is reported (init1). Here the program calculates an optimal alignment of initial regions as a combination of compatible regions with maximal score. This optimal alignment of initial regions can be rapidly calculated using a dynamic programming algorithm. The resulting score initn is used to rank the library sequences. This joining process increases sensitivity but decreases selectivity. A carefully calculated cut-off value is thus used to control where this step is implemented, a value that is approximately one standard deviation above the average score expected from unrelated sequences in the library. A 200-residue query sequence with k-mer 2 uses a value 28. Use a banded Smith–Waterman algorithm to calculate an optimal score for alignment. This step uses a banded Smith–Waterman algorithm to create an optimised score (opt) for each alignment of query sequence to a database(library) sequence. It takes a band of 32 residues centered on the init1 region of step2 for calculating the optimal alignment. After all sequences are searched the program plots the initial scores of each database sequence in a histogram, and calculates the statistical significance of the "opt" score. For protein sequences, the final alignment is produced using a full Smith–Waterman alignment. For DNA sequences, a banded alignment is provided. FASTA can remove complexity regions before aligning the sequences by encoding low complexity regions in lower case and using the -S option. However, the BLAST program offers more options for correcting for biased composition statistics. Therefore, the program PRSS is added in the FASTA distribution package. PRSS shuffles the matching sequences in the database either on the one-letter level or it shuffles short segments which length the user can determine. The shuffled sequences are now aligned again and if the score is still higher than expected this is caused by the low complexity regions being mixed up still