Welcome to phylobabble.org, a discussion forum for phylogenetic theory and applications. The primary goal of this forum is to discuss best practice and new developments in phylogenetics. Although we do have a Troubleshooting category for getting feedback on analyses, this is not a help site for running phylogenetics programs.

A great place to chat about phylogenetics for researchers and the broader community of students and science-interested citizens. 

Address of the bookmark: http://phylobabble.org/

Applications are invited for the position of Senior Research Fellow for the following time-bound sponsored project as per the details given below:

1. BTIS project on, “Bioinformatics Center-National Infrastructural Facility in the Area of Immunology” funded by DBT

Senior Research Fellow (P) (One Position only)

Dr. Debasisa Mohanty
Staff Scientist-VI
deb@nii.res.in

Qualifications: M.Sc in Biological Sciences or Biotechnology with at least 04 years of Research experience in Bioinformatics or computational Biology after the master’s degree is essential.

Emoluments: The selected candidates will draw consolidated emoluments as per Institute Rules, depending upon qualifications & experience

Rs. 18,000/- per month consolidated plus 30% HRA if Leading to Ph.D/NET/GATE Qualified otherwise Rs. 14,000/- per month + 30% HRA.

Job description: The candidate should be well versed in programming in PERL/C++/HTML/CGI, web server and portal development, computational analysis of
protein structure & function, molecular dynamics simulations and use of high performance computing systems.

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS:-

1. The candidates selected for the above posts will be on contract for one year or duration of the project whichever is shorter, at a time.
2. No hostel/ housing facility will be provided.
3. Number of posts may vary and shall be need based. Advertisement is no commitment.
4. Applicants may clearly mention the category they belong to i.e. SC/ST/OBC/PH and attach documentary proof of the same.
5. No TA/DA will be paid for attending the interview, if called for.
6. Apart from sending application in the prescribed format given below, candidates should send complete Curriculum Vitae along with the names of three referees. Curriculum Vitae should contain details of the experimental expertise.

HOW TO APPLY Interested candidates may apply directly, STRICTLY IN THE PRESCRIBED FORMAT GIVEN BELOW, through e-mail, to the Investigator of the project, clearly indicating the name of the project along with their complete C.V., e-mail id, fax numbers, telephone numbers. Only Short listed candidates will be called for interview and they required to submit attested copies of all their certificates and a Demand Draft of Rs 100/- drawn on Canara Bank or Indian Bank payable at Delhi/New Delhi in favour of the Director, NII (SC / ST and PH candidates are exempted subject to submission of documentary proof), at the time of interview.

LAST DATE OF RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: 06th June, 2014

Advertisement

www1.nii.res.in/sites/default/files/projectappointment-Dr.Mohanty-6June2014.pdf

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/schatzlab/appliedgenomics

Biostrings

The Biostrings package from Bioconductor provides an advanced environment for efficient sequence management and analysis in R. It contains many speed and memory effective string containers, string matching algorithms, and other utilities, for fast manipulation of large sets of biological sequences. The objects and functions provided by Biostrings form the basis for many other sequence analysis packages. Documentation

The work will focus on the functional studies of small RNAs by using next-generation sequencing approaches.

Candidates should hold a Ph.D. degree and have strong background in bioinformatics.
The University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis provides a wide range of facilities and training essential for biomedical research.

Interested applicants should send a PDF with a cover letter stating research interests and qualifications, an updated CV, a summary of previous research experience and contact information for two references to Michele Trabucchi ( mtrabucchi@unice.fr )

Homepage: http://www.unice.fr/c3m/EN/Equipe10.html

De Bruijn Graphs for NGS Assembly
Algorithms for PacBio Reads
Software and Hardware Concepts for Bioinformatics
Finding us in Homolog.us (Search Algorithms)
NGS Genome and RNAseq Assembly - a Hands on Primer
Introduction to PERL, Python, R and C/C++ for Bioinformatics

Address of the bookmark: http://www.homolog.us/Tutorials/

More at http://www.babraham.ac.uk/our-research/nuclear-dynamics/

The "Ifs" of NGS QC and Trimming

1. Ensures Data Integrity
   If you want to minimize errors in downstream analyses, QC and trimming remove low-quality reads and bases, ensuring high-confidence data. This step is essential for reliable variant calling, assembly, and other applications.

2. Removes Contaminants
   If adapter sequences or contaminants are present in the raw reads, trimming can eliminate them. This prevents issues like misalignment or incorrect biological interpretations, ensuring cleaner data for analysis.

3. Improves Mapping and Assembly
   If your goal is better alignment to a reference genome or improved de novo assembly, trimming low-quality bases and adapters is critical. High-quality reads map more efficiently and generate more accurate assemblies.

4. Reduces Computational Load
   If you want to save computational resources, trimming reduces the dataset size, which speeds up processing and analysis. Clean datasets mean less computational time spent on processing low-quality data.

5. Prepares for Standardized Analyses
   If your project involves multiple datasets, QC and trimming ensure uniformity across them. This standardization makes comparisons valid and reproducible, particularly in large collaborative studies.

The "Buts" of NGS QC and Trimming

1. Risk of Over-Trimming
   But excessive trimming can lead to the loss of informative sequences, reducing read depth and potentially discarding biologically relevant data. This is especially critical in studies with limited sequencing depth.

2. Bias Introduction
   But trimming algorithms might introduce biases, especially if they inadvertently remove sequences with specific biological patterns. This can skew results and compromise biological insights.

3. Loss of Context in Paired-End Reads
   But trimming one read in a pair more than the other can lead to loss of pairing information. This complicates downstream analyses that rely on paired-end data, such as structural variant detection.

4. Time and Resource Intensive
   But running QC and trimming for large datasets can be computationally expensive and time-consuming. As sequencing depth increases, preprocessing becomes a bottleneck in the analysis pipeline.

5. Variable Standards
   But the criteria for trimming (e.g., quality threshold, minimum read length) can vary between tools and datasets. This variability may affect reproducibility and comparability of results across studies.

Balancing the "Ifs" and "Buts"

To maximize the benefits of QC and trimming while mitigating the challenges, consider the following best practices:

• Use QC Tools Wisely: Start with tools like FastQC to identify quality issues in your raw data. Visualizing quality metrics helps tailor your trimming parameters.

• Choose Reliable Trimming Tools: Tools like Trimmomatic, Cutadapt, and BBduk offer adaptive and customizable trimming options. Select one that aligns with your dataset and project goals.

• Set Reasonable Parameters: Avoid over-trimming by setting quality thresholds and minimum read lengths that balance data retention and quality improvement.

• Test Downstream Effects: Validate the impact of QC and trimming on downstream analyses, such as alignment efficiency, variant calling accuracy, or assembly quality.

• Document Your Workflow: Maintain detailed records of the parameters and tools used for QC and trimming. This ensures reproducibility and enables better troubleshooting.

Conclusion

NGS quality control and trimming are essential steps to ensure reliable and accurate data for analysis. While the "ifs" highlight the clear benefits of these steps, the "buts" remind us of the potential pitfalls. By adopting best practices and carefully balancing these considerations, you can optimize your preprocessing workflow and unlock the full potential of your sequencing data.

Applications are invited for the post of Junior Research Fellow (JRF) in a DBT funded IYBA project entitled “Generatingaprotein-ncRNA interactome for Dorsal mediated gene regulation and dorso-ventral patterning genes in Drosophila” in the Lab. Of Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, South Asian University, New Delhi. The project requires extensive use of molecular, genetic and genomic approaches.

POST: Junior Research Fellow (JRF)

NO. OF VACANCIE(S) - (01)

FELLOWSHIP: Rs. 16,000/- plus HRA

PROJECT DURATION: 2014-2016 (Two years)

LAST DATE FOR APPLICATION: Aug 18, 2014.

Eligibility criteria:

M.Sc./M.Tech./ in Biological Sciences/Biotechnology/Bio-Informatics. Candidates with research experience in the field of Drosophila/Yeast genetics will be preferred.

Application Procedure:

A covering letter along with your CV, copy of prior publications (if any) and proof of experience should be e-mailed to lmb_sau@aol.com. Hardcopy of the application should be brought on the day of interview along with other testimonials and marks statements for verification purpose.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

-No TA/DA will be paid for attending the interview.

-SAU may select candidates against the post depending upon qualification and experience of candidates and reserves the right to relax any of the qualifications in case the candidate is found otherwise well qualified by the Selection Committee

-The abovementioned post is temporary and will be initially offered for a period of one year and can be extended, on satisfactory performance.

More at http://www.sau.ac.in/recruitment/vacancy.html

More at https://software.broadinstitute.org/gatk/download/bundle

ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/snp/organisms/human_9606/VCF/GATK/.

ftp://ftp.broadinstitute.org/bundle/hg38/hg38bundle/

Address of the bookmark: https://console.cloud.google.com/storage/browser/genomics-public-data/resources/broad/hg38/v0?pli=1